


Enter Nowhere

by Princessleia9977



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alderaan, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Enter Nowhere, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Force-Sensitive Leia Organa, Force-Sensitive Shmi Skywalker, Galactic Empire, Galactic Republic, Gen, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, Jedi, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Lightsabers (Star Wars), Mentioned Darth Vader, Mentions of Luke Skywalker, Mentions of Obi-Wan Kenobi - Freeform, Mentions of Padme Amidala - Freeform, Movie: Star Wars: A New Hope, Movie: Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, Multigenerational, Padawan Anakin Skywalker, Parent-Child Relationship, Psychometry, Rogue One - Freeform, Skywalker Family Drama, Skywalker Family Feels, Tatooine (Star Wars), Tatooine Slave Culture, The Force, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Timelines, Tusken Raiders (Star Wars), quarantine fic, star wars sequels - Freeform, you can thank covid-19 for this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:07:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23663602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princessleia9977/pseuds/Princessleia9977
Summary: Four generations of Skywalkers find themselves on Tatooine at the same time.Drama ensues.
Comments: 229
Kudos: 411





	1. The Sands of Time

**Author's Note:**

> A fic loosely based on the film Enter Nowhere, which is a multigenerational time travel movie. This idea has been in my head for some time now and since I'm stuck in quarantine... Well, here you go. I hope you enjoy.

Nineteen-year-old Leia Organa awoke with the sun on her face. The heat was intense and unrelenting— scorching her pale skin. She had gone to sleep in her bed on Alderaan and had woken to a desert wasteland under the glare of twin suns surrounded by an endless sea of sand.

She was not on Alderaan anymore. She didn’t know where she was.

Groaning, she stood up and glanced down at herself, surprised to find herself dressed in her white Senatorial gown— her beautiful white Senatorial gown that was now covered in sand, prompting her to let out a string of unladylike curses as she desperately tried to brush the skirts out. She glanced up at her surroundings to see rolling sand dunes sprawled out in every direction for as far as the eye could see.

Wherever she was, it was a barren wasteland of nothingness. She doubted anyone could survive out here.

“You’re awake,” came a voice from behind her. “I was beginning to think you were dead.”

Startled, she turned around to see a young boy not much older than her. If she had to judge from his appearance alone, she would have to guess that he was around her own age. He stared up at her from the ground with kind blue eyes that reminded her of the sky.

Leia Organa took in the boy’s appearance, from his sandy blond hair to his dark robes that looked glaringly out of place to the braid that rested on his shoulder.

“Wh— who are you?” she asked, instinctively reaching for a blaster that no longer was there. “Where am I?”

The boy tilted his head in confusion, “you don’t know where you are? Did you hit your head?”

She huffed in annoyance, “well if I did, I wouldn’t have asked you.”

She watched as he raised an amused eyebrow at her remark, much to her chagrin.

“And no,” she continued, “for your information, I did not hit my head. When I went to sleep last night, I most decidedly was not here— wherever here is. I was on Alderaan.”

The boy snorted, “well I hate to break it to you, but you’re a long way from Alderaan. In fact, if there’s a bright center to the universe, you’re on the planet farthest from it.”

“What’s the supposed to mean?”

He sighed as he rose to his feet, “look, you’re in the Outer Rim. Tatooine to be exact.”

The Outer Rim?! How in Sith’s hells did she get here?

“You’re joking,” she responded, crossing her arms over her chest for emphasis.

The boy grimaced at her tone as he kicked at a lone rock beneath his boots, “afraid not, m’lady.”

“Well— how did I get here then? Did you kidnap me?” she demanded, narrowing her brown eyes at the stranger. This would not have been the first time that someone threatened to kidnap her and hold her for ransom because of her royal status.

“No, I didn’t kidnap you!” replied the boy, aghast. “Why the kriff would I do that?”

“Because I’m the—” she began before realizing that her identifying herself as the Princess of Alderaan to some strange boy would probably not be the best idea, “you know what, forget it. It’s not important.”

The boy stared at her, the full weight of his blue eyes making her uncomfortable. He narrowed his eyes at her as if he was trying to read her like a book. His gaze was very intense— much like the glare of the twin suns overhead.

Finally, he tore his gaze away from her and sighed, “look, I understand your confusion. But I didn’t kidnap you,” he said before adding; “I went to sleep on Coruscant last night and woke up here with you. I don’t understand it either.”

Leia frowned at his choice of words, “Coruscant? You mean Imperial Center?”

He gave her a strange look, “Imperial Center?”

“Fine,” she said, rolling her eyes. If he wanted to use old terminology, then she could play along. “Coruscant then. Do you have any idea how we got here?”

He shrugged, “how am I supposed to know? One moment I was in my quarters in the Temple and the next I was here with you. I thought that maybe it was the Force that brought us here, but I don’t know.”

She huffed in annoyance, “well that’s just great. Neither one of us seems to know how we ended up here let alone how we’re going to get off this dustbowl.”

“We could find a ship,” he suggested.

Leia rolled her eyes, “and where pray tell are we going to find one, genius?”

“No need to be rude,” he said defensively. “Unless you haven’t noticed, you and I are both in the same boat here.”

He made a good point as much as it frustrated her. She shook her head as she looked around at their surroundings. In truth, she had no idea where they were or what direction they should go, but what she did know however was that they needed to find shelter as well as food and water.

She groaned at the heat as she pulled at the collar of her thick white robes, trying to feel so much as a breeze or slight wind. But there was nothing. In fact, save for the intense heat as well as the dryness in her throat, Leia didn’t feel anything.

“We need food and water,” she said as she fanned herself, “this heat is unbearable.”

“We also need to find shelter,” he said before adding; “trust me when I say you don’t want to get caught out here at night.”

“Why? Does it get cold?” she asked, hopeful. The cold she could deal with, but the heat was an entirely different story. Already she could feel her delicate, pale skin beginning to burn.

“It does, but that’s not what I’m worried about,” he replied as he walked towards the edge of the dune that they stood on, the sands shifting beneath his feet. He offered no further explanation as he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply while Leia watched in silence.

After a few moments, he opened his eyes. “We should go south.”

Leia scoffed, “and how do you know that’s the best direction to go?”

“I just do,” was his simple reply as he began to slide down the dune, his heavy boots digging into the yellow sand as Leia hiked up her skirts and traipsed after him, slightly annoyed that he seemed to be taking the lead instead of her.

“And how do you know we shouldn’t head east or west?” she countered, hating the coarse sand that had already managed to find itself in her boots.

“If we headed west all we’d find is the Jundland Waste,” he said before adding; “you don’t want to be there when the suns set and there’s nothing east.”

“How do you know?”

“I’m from here,” was his simple reply. “Anchorhead is this way,” he said as he pointed south, “it’s certainly not Mos Espa or Mos Eisley, but we might be able to find a ship there. If not, I’m sure we could find you secure passage back to Alderaan.”

She huffed, “at this point, I don’t care. So long as we can get the hell off this planet and back home.”

“And I need to get back to Coruscant,” he said, his expression turning somber, “sooner rather than later.”

She could sense the urgency in his voice. The desperation as well as the need.

“What’s on Coruscant?” she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

“An old friend of mine,” he said, his posture changing, “I was supposed to meet her today. I haven’t seen her in ten years.”

She could the ghost of a smile on his lips at the mention of his friend, but it was wiped clean off his face as he glared out at the rolling dunes, “and now I’m stuck here of all places,” he said, bitterly.

“I thought you said this was your home?” asked Leia, noting his sour attitude of being back on his homeworld. Although, Leia had to admit that if she was him, she probably wouldn’t be too thrilled to be here either.

He shook his head, “it’s not that. I was born and raised here, but I left when I was nine. I never wanted to come back here, _unless—”_ he trailed off, his thoughts going elsewhere.

“Unless what?” implored the young Senator as she watched the boy glance at her nervously.

He shifted his weight under the weight of her stare, his eyes darting across the horizon. It was almost as if he was looking for something— _or someone._

He shook his head, “nothing. It’s nothing.”

Leia knew he was lying, but she didn’t press the matter. Her main concern right now was getting off this barren planet without first succumbing to heat exhaustion, not asking this boy needless questions about his past.

“I was supposed to be somewhere today as well,” she said, looking up at the sky as her thoughts drifted to that of her father. She was supposed to meet him that morning for a mission briefing, but clearly, that was not going to happen. She had no idea what was going to happen next, but she prayed that the Alliance would be successful in their attempt to steal the plans.

“Something important?”

“Yeah,” she swallowed, “very important.”

He glanced back at her, sympathetically.

“I’m sure whatever it is, you’ll be back in time to finish it.”

She snorted, “I doubt that, but thank you— whoever you are.”

Here she was following after a complete stranger on some desert planet in the Outer Rim and she didn’t even know his name, or who he was for that matter. And yet despite all of that, Leia felt as though she could trust him.

As if reading her thoughts, he turned to look at her.

“I guess if we’re going to be traveling together, we should probably introduce ourselves,” he said.

Leia chuckled, “yeah, I suppose we should.”

“I’m Anakin,” he smiled. “Anakin Skywalker.”

“Leia,” she matched his smile, but something nagged at corners of her mind as she followed after him. Perhaps the heat was starting to get to her, but Leia could’ve sworn that she had heard that name before.


	2. Day and Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, let me start off by saying how grateful I am for the feedback on this story. I am glad that so many people like this and I am excited to bring you this new chapter. I hope you like!

_This is hell,_ thought Leia as she pulled her hair into a simple bun, relieved to have it off her neck and shoulders before adjusting her hood back over her red and blistered scalp. She was utterly grateful at the moment that her gown had a hood sewn into it as she tugged it over her head, thankful for the protection— however small it was.

Anakin, on the other hand, had no such protection in his black and brown robes, but if the suns bothered him, he made no mention of it as he led the way.

“Are you tired?” he asked, turning to look back at her. It was a trend, she noticed. He seemed concerned for her safety as it was readily apparent by then that she was no child of Tatooine. She was a child of beautiful snowcapped mountains and crystal-clear lakes— not of sand of sun. She did not belong here.

“No,” she lied.

Anakin gave her another one of his knowing looks that was slowly but surely beginning to annoy Leia. She had only known the boy for a little more than a few hours and already she got the feeling that he could read her in a way that most people couldn’t. It was unsettling, to say the least.

“Let’s stop for a moment.”

“I said I’m not tired,” she replied.

He shrugged, “fine, keep walking then,” he said as he casually lowered himself down onto the sand, stretching out his long limbs, “but I’m taking a break. Heatstroke is a silent killer, you know. Especially out here. One could easily succumb to it if they weren’t careful.”

She could sense that sarcasm in his voice as she gritted her teeth. Begrudgingly, she lowered herself down next to him, not caring of the sand that seeped into every nook and cranny of her dress.

“I can’t wait to take a long, _cold_ shower,” she said as she rubbed at her damp neck, grimacing at the way her hair stuck to her skin. “How in siths hell do people survive out here?”

Anakin shrugged, “not everyone does.”

He sounded casual— _too casual_ as he stared out at the horizon, but Leia could sense that there was a heavyweight on his shoulders. Whatever was on his mind, she knew that it was eating away at him.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked before she could think better of it.

He hesitated, his blue eyes refusing to meet hers. “Let’s just say you’re not Alderaan anymore.”

Leia wanted to question him further, but she never got the chance to as he sighed. He rose to his feet and offered her hand, his blue eyes staring down at her with an unreadable expression. “You’re right. We need to keep moving. It’ll be dark soon and we don’t want to be out here by ourselves when the suns set.”

She accepted his hand, allowing him to pull her up. Her feet once again sinking into the moving sand as she brushed her skirts off. “Why? Are you afraid of the dark?”

Her tone was teasing and yet when Anakin looked at her, his expression was anything but amused.

“It’s not the dark I’m afraid of,” was his simple reply before he walked past her, offering her no further explanation.

Maybe it was the casualness of his tone or the sudden desert breeze that ruffled the skirts of her dress, but Leia couldn’t help the shiver that ran up and down the length of her back.

* * *

“What’s your friend like?” Leia found herself asking sometime later, bored out of her mind. She had never been good at small talk, but she figured that talking might take her mind off of the situation at hand— at least for a while.

“What?”

“Your friend,” said Leia. “The one you haven’t seen in ten years.”

“Oh,” said Anakin, stopping momentarily. “You mean Padmé.”

The way he said her name reminded Leia of a prayer. Full of reverence and respect and even a _we._ She thought it was endearing.

“Yes,” she said, smiling. “Tell me about her.”

“What would you like to know?” he asked.

“How did you meet her?”

He pursed his lips, obviously reliving a memory. “I met her here when I was nine. She was from Naboo.”

Leia had been to Naboo before. It was beautiful, but nothing like Alderaan. Still, she felt a desire to know more.

“What was she doing here?” she asked, curious to know what a girl from a beautiful planet like Naboo would be doing here of all places.

Anakin hesitated, uncertainty lacing his features. “She and her— _guardian_ stopped here for ship parts. They came into my master’s shop. Nine-year-old me thought she was an angel.”

Leia frowned, “an Angel? Like the ones on the moons of Iego?”

“Yeah,” he smiled, fondly. “Just like the ones on Iego.”

“She must be very beautiful then,” said Leia as Anakin nodded.

He seemed excited to be talking about his friend and Leia thought that it was cute the way his eyes seemed to light up at the mention of her.

“And smart too,” he said before adding; “she is a politician after all.”

Leia snorted, “just cause someone’s a politician doesn’t make them smart,” she said before adding under her breath; “I should know.”

Leia thought of all the Imperial politicians she knew and how many of them still fooled themselves into believing that they actually still had a part to play in the government. They were nothing but figureheads; remnants of a government that was no more.

Anakin had heard her last statement as he turned his gaze on her, “you’re a Senator?”

He sounded surprised as he stared at her, his eyes taking in her appearance. She knew what he was thinking. She had never been as decadent or as extravagant as some of her colleagues. Her style was functional and utilitarian— more so than other politicians. She did not look like an Imperial Senator, especially now that she was covered in sweat and grime.

She let out a bitter chuckle, “I am, unfortunately.”

She wouldn’t be for much longer. The Emperor was well on his way to finally doing away with the Senate completely. His power had long since been consolidated. He didn’t need it anymore, not even symbolically.

“Sorry,” he said before adding; “it’s just— you don’t seem like the political type.”

His words were honest. Leia wasn’t offended.

“And your friend is?” questioned Leia.

“She— has a way with words,” he said before adding; “all politicians do I guess.”

She nodded, “a silver tongue does go a long way, at least it used to.”

“I wouldn’t know,” he pursed his lips. “I never was good with words. Other people always tell me that I talk weird.”

Leia could see that. His words were stilted— enough so that Leia could tell that Basic probably wasn’t his first language, or even second for that matter. His accent was also very interesting, a strange blend of Outer Rim and Coruscanti.

She shrugged, “so long as people can understand you, what does it matter?”

He snorted at that, “but it does matter, especially in a place like Coruscant.”

He didn’t have to use so many words for Leia to understand his point, which was something she found refreshing.

“Who cares what people there think,” she said before adding; “that place sucks anyway.”

She hated Imperial Center with a burning passion. It was nothing more than a den of snakes in her opinion.

She watched as a grin spread over his features as she matched his expression, happy to find that despite their obvious differences; she and Anakin were alike in more ways than one.

* * *

The twin suns were nearing the horizon when they came across a large winding canyon. Leia stared at the entrance as Anakin’s eyes scaled over the tops of the canyon walls. His posture was tense and guarded, almost as if he expected someone to jump down and attack them.

Judging from his body language, that was exactly what he was waiting for as he shook his head.

“We should go around it,” he said, uncertainty lacing his tone as he gave her a wary look. “The canyons here— they’re not safe.”

Leia frowned, “can we go around it?”

He considered it, his brow furrowing in concentration.

“I don’t think so,” he said at last. “It would take us too long to go around.”

“How long?”

“At least two days,” he said with a grimace. “Unless we came across someone willing to give us a lift or something, but I doubt that will happen. Not very many people come this way.”

They didn’t have two days. Not without food or water or any supplies. They would never survive that long out there by themselves.

“How far is Anchorhead if we go through?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“If we go through, we might be there by noon tomorrow.”

“Well, I guess that’s settled then,” she said as she stalked forwards. It was only until she reached the natural entrance that she noticed Anakin was not behind her.

“Are you coming or not?” she asked, glancing back at him with her hands on her hips.

He swallowed, “we should stop here for the night,” he said as he looked up at the slowly setting suns, “we can go through tomorrow when it’s light.”

She considered his words for a few moments before she nodded.

“All right,” she conceded. “We’ll stop here.”

Hopefully, Anakin knew how to start a fire. She could already feel the cool of night beginning to settle over the land, but Leia had a feeling that was the least of their worries.

* * *

Anakin, it turned out, did indeed know how to start a fire. How he did it with the few measly pieces of wood that he had somehow managed to scavenge was beyond Leia as she basked in the warmth of the orange glow.

The suns had long since set, bringing with it a coldness that Leia had thought impossible only hours earlier. Still, it was a relief compared to the heat of the twin suns.

“Here,” said Anakin sometime later after returning with a few more meager pieces of japor wood to add to the fire. He pulled out of his pocket what looked like a small root that was barely half the size of his palm. He looked proud to have found it as he showed it to her, a smile on his lips.

“What is it?” asked Leia as she took the root in her hand, turning it around so she could get a better look at it.

“A noonja root,” he said as he lowered himself down next to her, “it grows in the crevices of the canyon walls. It’s edible.”

Leia’s stomach let out an audible growl at the word _edible,_ her eyes drifting between Anakin and the root in her hand.

What she wouldn’t give for some good old Alderaani stew at the moment. Shavit, she could even go for some Ruica right now even though she hated the food with a burning passion. She was that hungry.

“Here,” he said, taking the root from her hands as he broke it into two before handing her one of the halves. “It’s not a lot, but it’s something.”

Leia watched as he began to slowly nibble on his half, his face passive as he stared out at night. She slowly bit into the root, her face twisting at the bitter taste. It was absolutely revolting, but like Anakin said; it was something.

“I used to eat a lot of this as a kid,” he said, softly. “When we had nothing else to eat, I would go out to the canyons and try to find some. It wasn’t much, but it eased the hunger pains.”

Leia had never gone hungry a day in her life. It was in moments like these that she was thankful for her privilege.

“Did you go hungry a lot as a kid?” she asked before she could think better of it. She couldn’t help but flinch at the way she sounded; nosy and unsympathetic.

Anakin shrugged, “everyone’s poor here. We didn’t always have food or water, but we survived. We had to.”

Leia could feel the undertone of _we had no other choice_ in his words, and she couldn’t help but look at Anakin in a new light. She didn’t know him all that well, but she could tell that he had endured hardships in his life. Hardships that she was a stranger too.

The conversation ended there, but Leia’s thoughts did not.

* * *

That night, Leia dreamt.

She found herself standing in front of a tall burning that was consumed by fire and smoke. Around her, she could see corpses littering the ground— the smell of death decay assaulting her nostrils as the heat of the fire tickled at her face.

She could feel something here— something dark. _Something evil._

Whatever had happened in this place, it had salted the ground. Nothing good could ever grow here again.

She didn’t want to be here. And yet, she found she could not move.

“You shouldn’t be here,” came a modulated voice from behind her, sending shivers up her back. She turned around to see a man standing before her dressed in all black, his face concealed by a horrible looking mask that reminded her all too much of a skull.

Her chest clenched at the sight of him, fear coursing through her body as she took an involuntary step back.

Whoever this man was, he felt wrong. She could feel the darkness in him— if that were even possible.

He studied her for a few moments, his head tilting to the side as he pulled something out of his belt, the metal glinting in the light of the fire.

With snap and hiss, he ignited a crimson blade as Leia flinched, brown eyes widening in terror.

“Your son is dead,” he said. “I killed him because he was weak and pathetic.”

He stalked towards her, tall and imposing. He completely dwarfed her with his height.

“And soon, I’ll come after you too.”

With that, he raised his lightsaber and Leia Organa knew no more.

* * *

When she awoke, it was still night.

The stars overhead shined like a million little dots in the dark sky and Leia couldn’t help but look, mesmerized by the beauty of the night. She could almost see the entire galaxy from where she sat, the desert sky a work of art that made her feel content.

But beside her, Anakin stirred from his own dream… Or nightmare from the looks of it.

 _“No, no, please. Mom… Mom,”_ he muttered, his forehead wet with sweat. _“Please don’t leave me…”_

Leia’s heart clenched at the sight of him as he writhed and twisted, his breathing labored as she gently reached over and nudged him awake. His reaction was instantaneous as he jerked awake, his hand immediately going to something on his belt, blue eyes wide with panic as Leia fell back onto her butt in surprise.

She had not anticipated this sort of response from him, but her cry of surprise was enough to bring Anakin out of his frantic reverie as a pair of worried blue eyes fell on her.

“Are you okay?” he asked, kneeling beside her.

Leia nodded, “I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” she replied before adding; “I should’ve known better than to do that, but you were having a nightmare and I figured it’d be better to just wake you up.”

“Oh,” said Anakin, lamely. “Thanks, I guess.”

His thoughts were somewhere else as he stared at the dying fire, his brow furrowed in consternation as Leia sighed.

“It’s all right,” she said. “I had one too.”

Anakin raised his head to look over at her, “really?”

“Yeah,” she said, kicking at the sand, “It was weird.”

“Do you have nightmares a lot?” he asked, tentatively. His voice was soft, which made her think that maybe this was a chronic issue for him.

She nodded, “when I was younger, but now that I’m older not so much,” she said, her thoughts drifting back to the beautiful yet sad woman that had haunted her dreams as a small child. “What about you?”

He shrugged, “I’ve always had dreams. I just can’t always make sense of them.”

“What were you dreaming about just now?”

“My mom,” he said, distantly. “I haven’t seen her in years.”

This was clearly a sensitive topic for him, and Leia knew that she would need to tread carefully.

“Oh,” she said. “I’m sorry to hear.”

Anakin nodded, his eyes drifting out towards the horizon where the sky was already beginning to change colors; the light of dawn settling over the land. “I left her here when I was nine. I haven’t seen or heard from her since, but she’s out there somewhere.”

Leia heard the unspoken _and I’m going to find her_ in his tone as she followed his gaze, the both of them watching as the suns began to rise over the land, bringing with them the promise of a new day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. These Desert Bones

The heat crept in as the morning progressed. It was gradual, but as the suns slowly began their journey over the blue sky, Leia couldn’t help but feel it.

She also couldn’t help but notice the way that Anakin’s wary eyes kept dancing across the canyon walls, his posture rigid and guarded as he kept a steady hand on his belt—

Something nagged at Leia, but she squashed it as she tore her gaze away.

“Tell me more about Padmé,” she said at last, not entirely sure where the words came from.

Anakin tore his gaze off the canyon walls to look at her, “why?”

She shrugged, “I’m bored and I want to know more about your friend.” She didn’t know why, but there was a nudge— a small push that told her to keep asking questions. “Tell me about her political career.”

“She’s a Senator—”

“Yes, you told me,” she replied, pointedly. “How long has she been a Senator?”

Anakin leveled his gaze on her, scrutinizing her. However, if he was apprehensive about Leia’s prying, he soon got over it as he began to tell her about Padmé, clearly proud of his friend's achievements. “A few years. She became a Senator not long after her term as Queen was up.”

Leia’s attention piqued. “Did you say Queen? As in Queen of Naboo?”

He nodded, “she served two terms before she stepped down. She was very popular— so popular that the people of Naboo wanted to ratify the Constitution so that she could serve again.”

“She must be very loved by her people then,” mused Leia as she discretely racked her memory for the name of the monarchs of Naboo. Save for one or two, she was drawing a blank.

“She is,” said Anakin, a smile spreading across his features. It was soft, unlike the half-grins that she had become accustomed to over the short time that they had known each other. It was real and Leia couldn’t help but marvel at the sincerity of it.

Whoever this Padmé was, Leia was certain that she was a remarkable woman.

* * *

Three hours later they were still nowhere near the end— and Anakin’s promising words of reaching Anchorhead by noon were beginning to fall flat. No matter how far they walked, it felt as though they were walking in circles, doomed to never reach their destination. Leia ached and her throat screamed for water, and yet…

They kept walking. For what seemed like an eternity.

“I thought you said Anchorhead was close,” said Leia, too tired to muster a glare at her companion. “We need w _ater._ ”

“I know,” he bit out, clearly as frustrated as she. “We’re almost there. I can feel it.”

He squared his shoulders and set his jaw determinedly, but Leia could tell that he was just as frustrated as she— if that were even possible. However, Leia could sense the uncertainty under the surface. He was scared.

They both were.

* * *

“Tell me about Alderaan.”

The words broke the silence between the two of them. Leia knew that he was trying to distract her from the heat. His attempts were feeble, but she didn’t deny him his answer.

She smiled through chapped lips. “It’s very beautiful there. Especially in the spring when the flowers bloom and the snow melts off the mountains and into the rivers and lakes,” she mused, her thoughts drifting wistfully back to her childhood. “The water there is so still and clear, sometimes you can see the bottom.”

“I’ve never been,” he admitted truthfully, “but from the way you describe it, it sounds beautiful— just like Naboo.”

Leia could tell that Anakin appreciated beauty, and apparently, Naboo had left a lasting impression on him. Coming from here, Leia could understand why.

“Naboo is very beautiful as well,” agreed Leia. “I was there a few years ago for a diplomatic mission and I was not disappointed.”

Naboo was not Alderaan, but that didn’t mean that Leia didn’t appreciate its beauty— despite it being the homeworld of the Emperor. There had always been something different about Naboo; something that Leia could never quite place her finger on.

“It is,” he smiled, fondly. “I remember it so vividly— I had never seen a more beautiful place in my entire life,” he frowned as his hand grazed the wall of the canyon as if reminiscing. “So green and full of life. Nothing like here.”

His hand fell away, but his gaze lingered; remembering.

“Why did you leave?” blurted Leia, her curiosity getting the better of her as he pursed his lips.

He turned to look at her as he squared his back, “there was nothing for me here.”

The words sounded— wrong. Mechanical even, as if he had been trained to say them.

“Except your mother.”

Something around them churned— a pained whisper lingering in the air around them. Leia thought that perhaps it had been the wind, but she felt nothing. In fact, somewhere along the line, the howling winds that had echoed through the canyon had stopped. Everything was still.

“She wanted me to go,” he said. “She said it would be better for me if I did. That I would have a future.”

“You must miss her,” said Leia before adding; “I know I would.”

She couldn’t imagine it. Leaving her parents behind to an uncertain fate, but for Anakin that was his reality, and it was eating away at him.

He nodded, “leaving her behind was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

Leia felt something shift— something around them. Pain and sorrow that was not hers clenched at her chest as well as a longing that seemed to wrap around the very air around them.

“I’m sure it was just as hard for her,” _if not harder,_ Leia thought but did not voice. The relationship between parent and child was sacred. It was a bond that was eternal— it was, in Leia’s opinion relative to her own parents— unbreakable.

“I don't know,” said Anakin, hoarsely. “It must’ve been… But I hope that wherever she is, that she’s happy and safe,” the way he said safe, it made Leia wonder if there was more he wasn’t telling her.

But if he was, it wasn’t Leia’s job to pry.

“What about your parents?” asked Anakin after a few moments of silence. “They must be worried sick for you back on Alderaan.”

Leia’s gut twisted at the thought, “yes, I’m sure they are.”

“What are they like?” he asked, softly. He sounded curious, as if he genuinely wanted to know about her and her life. And here Leia thought that she was the only one with questions.

“They’re very kind and loving,” she smiled. “They mean everything to me. I don’t know where I would be without them. Especially my father,” mused Leia.

Bail Organa had always been Leia’s role model and inspiration, even if they didn’t necessarily always see eye to eye on everything. But no matter what, they always saw heart to heart on what mattered most.

“It sounds like you two are very close,” commented Anakin as Leia nodded.

“We share many of the same interests and passions,” she admitted. “He’s been my teacher and my mentor in the Senate for many years now. He has always been a Civil Servant— he and my mother. I am honored to follow in their footsteps.”

“He’s a politician too?” asked Anakin.

“Yes,” she nodded. “My father served in the Senate for many years before I took his position so that he could focus on _other_ important matters.”

“Like father like daughter,” mused Anakin. “He must be very proud of you. I know I would be.”

The words were innocuous, but there was something more. Something that made her bones tingle. Leia didn’t know if Anakin could sense it, but judging from the way that his smile faded, she had an inkling that he had felt it too.

* * *

It was shortly thereafter that they came upon a gruesome sight— a scene that would forever be burned in Leia’s memory. In a small clearing in the canyon, there lay two bodies; dried out and mummified by the heat and lack of moisture. They were half-buried in the sand, their faces still visible.

Leia had never seen a dead body before, at least none like this. Left behind and forgotten, they had become a part of the very land that had taken their lives.

It made Leia’s stomach twist and churn. Even though there was no food left in her aching stomach, Leia could still feel bile rising at the back of her throat at the sight.

“What happened to them?” she asked against her better judgment. “How—?”

“Tusken Raiders,” said Anakin as he reached down to pluck something out of the sand. He held what looked like a half-broken staff in his hand. “Killed them and stole their supplies. It’s what they do.”

He tossed the staff aside as he walked past a frozen Leia, who could not stop staring at the face that had probably once belonged to a very beautiful woman— her lifeless eyes staring right back at her.

And it became readily apparent to Leia at that very moment that Anakin was right.

She wasn’t on Alderaan anymore.

* * *

“I’m sorry,” Anakin said a short while later. “You shouldn’t have seen that. If I had known—”

“Don’t apologize,” whispered Leia. “It’s not your fault.”

“Still, no one should have to see something like that,” he replied before adding; “it’s not something you can just forget. I know.”

Leia knew that he was speaking from experience. The way that he talked; Leia could tell that this was a reality that he was accustomed too. And it made her chest clench.

“I’m fine,” she lied. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

“No,” he shook his head, “no, you’re not fine. You keep telling yourself that, but it’s not true. You’re scared we’ll end up like them.”

 _That we’ll be left forgotten to the sand, to rot and decay until the desert claims our bones,_ thought Leia as she closed her eyes, willing herself not to crack under the weight of her emotions.

“Will we?” she croaked.

“No,” Anakin firmly. “I won’t let what happened to them happen to us. I promise.”

His words were comforting, like the mountain breeze on Alderaan— they brought her peace and most importantly; reassurance.

* * *

They reached the end of the canyon sometime later— the both of them relieved beyond all measure to finally be free of the treacherous terrain as they hiked up the sandy embankment. They were exhausted and dehydrated, but the promise of a nearby settlement was tantalizing enough to keep them going.

It was about thirty minutes later that Anakin pointed to something in the distance.

“What is it?” asked Leia, squinting. It was already growing dark and she wasn’t quite sure what she was looking at.

“I don’t know,” he replied, enthusiastically before adding; “let’s go see.”

With that, he skidded down the dune as Leia groaned, following after him. It was a few minutes later that a small rounded hut became visible to the both of them, the color of the house almost blending in perfectly with the color of the sand. Had they not gotten closer; they might’ve missed it altogether.

“It’s a house,” breathed Leia.

“Not just a house,” muttered Anakin, excitedly. “A moisture farm.”

Moisture. Water.

Leia’s heart soared with relief and excitement as Anakin began to run towards the farm, his long legs carrying him closer as Leia clumsily ran after him, newfound energy coursing through her body.

_Perhaps they wouldn’t die after all._

They slowed down as soon as they reached the farm, both of them coming to a halt as they struggled to catch their breath. The door to the house opened, but neither one of them heard it over the sound of their panting.

“Are you alright?”

Leia’s eyes snapped up to meet that of a young woman with dark hair and worried brown eyes that reminded her of her own. She was resting her hand against the building, the other placed around her very large and very pregnant belly as she stared at the two of them.

Anakin froze.

“Mom?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There... Anakin and Shmi have reunited. Well, sorta. This is a time travel fic after all *shrugs*
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed! More to come soon <3


	4. Sandstorm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, let me start off by saying how sorry I am for the late chapter. I have been swamped with school and work and I haven't really written anything in a long time. So, without further adieu, I present the next chapter. I hope you enjoy :)

_“Grandfather.”_

The man once known as Ben Solo— now known throughout the galaxy as Kylo Ren— knelt before the shrine, his head held low as his grandfather’s empty lenses stared down at him. Every day he did this and every day he asked for the same thing.

Knowledge. _Power._

“Speak to me grandfather,” he begged. “Tell me what to do,” Ren swallowed from beneath his own mask— his thoughts drifting. “I’ve already proven myself capable. _I am worthy.”_

Red. All red. His father's face— his horrified face before he fell. Chewy’s roar. The girl—

He closed his eyes, his breath ragged.

“Please,” he begged. “Show me what I must do. _Show me._ ”

With that, he lifted his head and stared into the sightless eyesockets— nothing more than a black, empty void. It did not move or speak as Kylo had hoped it would. It never did.

“I’m your grandson; _your heir_ ,” he begged. “Speak to me. Tell me what I must do.”

The ghost of Vader remained silent.

“Why?!” he screamed, his fists hitting the table beneath him as he sent the shrine and everything on it flying through the air in a fit of red, hot rage. “Why do you ignore me? Have I not proven myself worthy of your attention? Have I not done enough?!”

 _No,_ a voice whispered in the Force. Cold and odious, it reached out toward him— grabbing onto him in its dark tendrils. He didn’t fight it as it wrapped around him, the warmth in his body vanishing into nothingness as the cold eagerly took its place, filling him with ice that burned like fire

And like fire, it spread. It never ended. It never stopped.

 _“Please,”_ he whispered, his voice barely audible as he opened his eyes to stare once more into the socketless eyes of his grandfather. “I will do whatever you wish.”

The Force surged— bearing down on him as it coursed through him like a tidal wave. Vader’s face disappeared from view as the roar of a sand storm filled his ears, grabbing and pulling at him as it sucked him into it’s current.

The ground gave out beneath him.

And Kylo Ren fell.

* * *

“Mom?”

The woman’s eyes snapped to Anakin as Leia watched— not quite sure what the make of the scene in front of her. The woman shifted uncomfortably and Leia knew that she too did not know what to make of the situation either.

Anakin, on the other hand, was a different story.

“Wh— what are you doing here?” he breathed out. His shock had worn off by then had melted into something that Leia could only describe as pure happiness. He was practically glowing.

But Leia could sense it. There was something wrong. Anakin was too caught up in his own emotions to notice that something was amiss, but not Leia. She wasn’t blind.

“Anakin,” warned the Princess, but her words fell on deaf ears as he took a sure step forward— causing the woman to take one back, her eyes darting to Leia apprehensively.

Anakin faltered, and so did his smile.

“Mom?” his voice was soft and tentative, but Leia could feel the underlying emotion behind it. He was worried… and desperate.

The woman’s eyes widened, her hands coming to rest protectively on the bulge that pushed her brown dress out, her hands cradling the babe within as Anakin's froze.

“You’re… pregnant?” he asked, his eyebrows knitting in confusion as he looked back to Leia— as if she could somehow provide him an explanation.

She couldn’t. But she knew. Whatever was going on— whatever was happening, Leia had a feeling that it was big. Bigger than them.

“Who are you people?” asked the woman. There was an edge to her words— but most of all there was no hint of recognition— not even for Anakin.

And that’s when she felt it. _Felt everything as if it were her own._ The turmoil, the pain, the shock… It was as if someone had taken her out of a warm sunny day and had tossed her into a cold lake, the shock of it enough to steal her breath away as everything grew dim.

Leia’s eyes snapped towards Anakin and she knew it was him.

“Mom?” he croaked; eyes pleading. “I— I don’t understand. What—"

“Who are you?” the woman demanded. 

“It’s me,” said Anakin, desperate for her to recognize him. “It’s me, Anakin. Your son. I promised you I would come back for you,” he said, voice cracking. “Remember?”

There was a whisper of a boy— a boy with blond hair and eyes so blue they rivaled the lakes of Alderaan. The image disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving Leia to wonder if it had been real. The words – _“I’ll come back for you someday. You won’t be a slave forever, mom” –_ tugging at Leia.

“I’m sorry,” the woman shook her head. “But I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

And all at once the happiness that Anakin had been radiating only moments before vanished— the glow turning into a dark and turbulent black hole. It was so fast…

Leia could feel Anakin’s hurt.

And shavit did it hurt.

* * *

“Are you okay?” whispered Leia as she and Anakin sat around a table that was half-covered in sand and dust— the both of them waiting patiently for Shmi (that was the name that she had given them) to return with some water from the vaporators.

She nudged him gently to get his attention, but Anakin did not acknowledge her, his blue eyes trapped in a daze as he stared at the far wall. Leia could tell that he was in deep thought, but he had yet to voice his thoughts to the Princess. Whatever was going on in his blond head, Leia had no idea.

She nudged him again.

“What?” he snapped.

“Are you okay?” she asked again as she held back an eye-roll. For someone who seemed to be able to read her emotions like an open book, Anakin was being terribly unobservant at the moment. It was clear that something was distracting him.

He stared at her for a few heavy seconds before swallowing, his gaze landing on the doorway where Shmi had disappeared out of only seconds before.

“I— I don’t know,” he said, shoulders tensing and relaxing all in one moment. His eyes remained on the doorway, waiting for Shmi’s return with apprehension. He sounded disembodied as he spoke again. “There is something going on here. Something not right.”

“You’re only just now figuring that out?” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I could’ve told you that yesterday morning.”

Leia expected Anakin to match her statement with something equally sarcastic, but he remained eerily silent. Even when Shmi returned with a pitcher of water and poured them each a glass, Anakin did not utter a single word.

Whatever his thoughts were, they carried him far, far away.

* * *

Leia had never been as appreciative of water until that moment as she greedily drank from the cup that Shmi had handed her, gulping down as much as she could without choking. It tasted strange, not anything like the mountain springs on Alderaan that produced enough water for most of the population, but it was enough. It was all she needed.

“Careful,” said Shmi before adding; “don’t drink too much or you’ll make yourself sick.”

Right. Of course.

Leia nodded as she took one last sip, her sleeve coming up to dry her mouth as she set her glass down, her thirst adequately quenched.

“Thank you,” said Leia, eternally grateful to the woman and her generosity. She didn’t have to share her water with two strangers, but she had. Leia was grateful. “I don’t think we would’ve lasted much longer if not for you.”

“It’s not wise to travel around these parts, especially without any supplies,” she reprimanded her. “You could’ve gotten lost or been ambushed by Raiders.”

The dead woman’s face filtered across her memory, her lifeless eyes staring at Leia in warning. They were not alone in the desert, and if they weren’t careful…

Anything could happen.

“It wasn’t our intention to get lost,” said Leia before adding; “it just sorta— happened.”

She didn’t know how else to describe their strange predicament to this woman. Leia still had no idea how she had managed to find herself here anyways. Neither did Anakin.

Shmi nodded, but something in her eyes told Leia that she didn’t entirely believe her. Nevertheless, she continued. “Well, either way, you’re lucky you managed to find yourselves here. Not very many people travel out this way. I think we’re alone here.”

 _Alone._ That did not bode well with Leia.

“We are?”

Shmi shook her head, “I’m not sure. I am not familiar with this area, but so far you two are the only people I’ve seen since yesterday morning.”

Leia frowned, “you live here all by yourself?”

The desert was no place for a pregnant woman to be alone, especially not in the later stages when the baby was due at any moment. Didn’t she have family or friends to look in on her?

Shmi shook her head, “oh, I don’t live here. This isn’t my farm. I have no idea whose it is.”

That made sense. This place looked as though it had been lying abandoned for years with no inhabitants. The structures were dilapidated and there was dust and sand everywhere… Not to mention there was nothing of value anywhere, probably the result of looters and scavengers.

“What are you doing here then?” Leia asked, not liking where this was going.

Shmi tore her gaze off of Leia to stare at the wall beside her, her eyes distant as she tugged at her sleeves. “To be honest,” she started, her voice full of uncertainty, “I’m not entirely sure. I went to sleep two nights ago and I just— woke up here. I don’t know how else to explain it.”

Leia froze as the very around her rippled in all directions, spreading out and touching everything with Leia at the epicenter of it all. Whatever it was, Shmi felt it as her eyes snapped towards Leia, wide and questioning.

“You… You woke up here,” came Leia’s disembodied voice.

“Yes,” said Shmi, slowly.

Leia swallowed before giving the other woman a short nod. It was numb.

“I know it sounds strange,” Shmi started upon seeing Leia’s confusion, “but it’s true.”

“No,” Leia found herself saying, “I believe you. I really, truly believe you because,” she inhaled deeply, “the same thing happened to us too.”

Shmi blinked, “to you and your friend?”

“He’s not my friend—” the words felt bitter in her mouth and Leia regretted them as soon as they were out, but she continued, “We just met yesterday.”

Leia was glad that Anakin wasn’t there or else she might’ve felt bad about telling Shmi that they weren’t friends, which they weren’t. After all, they barely knew each other. They were strangers who just happened to be in the same predicament.

“Really?” Shmi frowned. “I thought... never mind,” she said, turning away.

”What?” asked Leia, stopping the woman in her tracks. She gave Leia a sheepish look.

“It’s just… You two seem very close.”

There was that tingling again.

“Why’d you think that?” Leia asked. This felt important too for some odd reason. As if something was pressing her on.

“I don’t know,” was Shmi’s honest answer. “But your aura’s—”

Leia’s brows shot up. “Aura?” she asked, skeptical at the other woman’s choice of words, to which Shmi gave her a bashful smile.

“Sorry, I don’t know any other word for it,” she tugged at her sleeves, “ever since I could remember, I’ve been able to read people. It’s not really an aura so much as it is feelings, sometimes even thoughts. I can’t explain it.”

Leia found herself relating to Shmi’s words far more than she would’ve liked to admit. It was eerie; the way that she had described it…

“Your aura’s are similar,” continued Shmi, “very similar, which is strange considering you two don’t even know each other as you say. If I didn’t know any better, I’d peg you two as being related to one another.”

Leia laughed at that, the thought of being related to someone like Anakin a strange and wild thought that not even she had conjured in the short time that she had known him and yet…

There was that tingling sensation again. Spreading up her spine and radiating from her bones. But Leia ignored it because there was no way that she was related to Anakin Skywalker. Of that, she was certain.

“Is he alright?” asked Shmi, breaking the silence. Her voice was soft and tentative, much like a desert melody. It brought comfort to the Princess for some odd reason; made her feel warm and invited.

“I don’t know,” replied Leia, truthfully. Anakin had been acting strange ever since coming upon the moisture farm— his attitude and his demeanor having gone through a drastic change that had been so fast and so sudden that Leia was certain she had whiplash.

What had brought on this sudden change?

“Oh.”

Leia could feel Shmi withdrawing, her focus wondering as she lowered herself down into the dusty seat at the table, her hands resting against her belly as she leaned back against the wall with a sigh of relief while Leia watched in silence. It was obvious that the woman was in the later stages of pregnancy as her belly jutted proudly out in front of her, big and round. Leia winced as she imagined what it must be like to be burdened like that, especially in this unforgiving environment.

“How far along are you?” she asked, making her way over to the table as she swept the sand and dust off the seat before sitting down in front of her, her hands resting on the ancient table as she found herself drawn into Shmi’s dark eyes— so very much like her own.

“Nine months,” replied Shmi, rubbing her belly affectionately. “He’s so big, I’m starting to get uncomfortable, but the midwife tells me he’s due any day now.”

“He?” Leia found herself asking. It felt important.

The woman smiled as she nodded, “I’m certain it’s a boy.”

Leia smiled, “congratulations.”

“Thank you,” she smiled, her smile warm and radiant— much like the twin suns, but so much softer. It felt like home.

* * *

Leia found Anakin sometime later working on the vaporators with only his hands. It was dark by then, the moon hanging over the land and illuminating it as the stars shone like a million little diamonds. And just like the night before, Leia couldn’t help but be mesmerized by it.

Her attention, however, was still primarily focused on Anakin.

“It’s getting late,” said Leia quietly as she watched him work. Even in the dark, his hands seemed to know exactly where to go and what to do without the help of tools. “You’ve been out here for hours.”

He ignored her.

The wind picked up at that very moment, ripping through the air like a knife as it cut through Leia. She shivered, her arms wrapping around her torso as she did her best to stay warm.

“Shmi says it isn’t safe out here at night,” she tried once more and once again was ignored.

She grit her teeth, “are you just going to ignore me like I don’t even exist?” she asked, anger coursing through her as she glowered down at the boy.

“What do you want, Leia?” he asked, tiredly. He turned to look at her and under the light of the moon, Leia could see that his eyes were red and puffy— a sure sign that he had been crying.

And now she felt bad. Horrible, even.

“We need to talk,” she swallowed. “I would like an explanation.”

“An explanation to what?” asked Anakin.

“An explanation as to what’s going on around here,” she said before adding; “and you can start with Shmi.”

Anakin flinched at the name, which did not go unnoticed by Leia as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“What does it matter anyway?” he asked, bitterly. “It’s not like she knows who I am.”

“But you know her,” Leia pointed out, unwilling to give up or walk away at that point. She had come to Anakin for answers by the Force she was going to get them. “How do you know her?”

“She’s—” he glanced away from Leia and towards the entrance to the house, swallowing, “she’s my mother.”

That was a lie. It had to be. There was no way that woman was his mother. No karking way. Either that or Anakin was confused. Very confused.

“Anakin—”

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said, rising to his full height as he kicked at the sand in front of him, “you think I’m crazy. That it isn’t possible. But I know my mother,” he said, firm in his conviction.

There was truth to his words. Leia could sense it as true as day.

“Look, there is clearly something going on here. Something strange,” he said as he leveled his gaze on her. “I know you can sense it too.”

And he was right. She felt it too. And she had no idea what to make of it.

“You’re right,” she admitted. “There is something— strange going on. Something that I can’t explain. No matter how hard I try, I can’t shake the feeling that we are apart of something bigger than ourselves.”

“It’s the Force,” said Anakin. “It brought all of us together. Here.”

“Why?” 

“I think—"

Something wrenched. The air around them grew cold as both Anakin and Leia’s eyes snapped towards the horizon where an orange glow had made itself known. Hazy and foreboding, it seemed to be getting closer by the second as Anakin visibly tensed, his words dying on his lips as something else replaced them.

“Sandstorm,” he said quietly, more to himself than anything.

Leia had heard of sandstorms before, but this was the first time that she had ever seen one as she watched it draw nearer and nearer, bringing with it an unnatural chill that was nothing like the cool desert night.

It was like a black hole. Endless and cold, it gave a deafening roar. Even from where she stood, Leia could feel its rage.

It felt wrong. _Evil._

“Come on,” Anakin grabbed her arm. “We don’t want to be outside when that thing reaches us.”

He tried to guide her back into the house, but Leia stood frozen as she stared at the approaching storm, something inside of her keeping her there as the voice from her dreams whispered in her ear, _“and soon, I’ll come after you too.”_

And Leia could feel it in her bones. There was something or _someone—_ she shuddered as she thought of the man in the awful mask— in there.

And he was coming for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the wonderful and supportive comments <3


	5. Desert Willing

Between the unerring chill that seeped into the house and the sandstorm that raged outside, Leia could not sleep as she sat with her back to the wall as she listened to the howling winds. Strong and angry; it shook the house with a vengeance that seemed to never end.

And in the howling of the wind, the desert whispered.

 _“You shouldn’t be here,”_ came the modulated voice, although Leia wasn’t sure if it was the black figure from her dreams whispering in her ear of the desert itself. Either way, it left Leia feeling vulnerable and cold as she wrapped her arms around herself.

 _“Your son is dead,”_ the desert continued to whisper. _“I killed him because he was weak and pathetic.”_

A shiver ran up the length of Leia’s spine. The words spoke to something deep within her. Something strange; primal even.

_“And soon, I’ll come after you too.”_

With that, the sound of laughter filled her ears; low and sadistic. It was almost indistinguishable from the howling of the desert. It sounded as though someone was speaking directly into her ear, but of course, there was no one there.

The desert never slept, Anakin had told her the night before. She hadn’t known at the time what he had meant by that particular statement, but she had concluded that he was referring to the animals that came out during the cover of night.

But now she understood.

* * *

Shortly thereafter, somewhere between unconsciousness and wakefulness, Leia became acutely aware of shuffling. It was soft— barely discernible by the howling storm, and yet…

_“No, no, please mom… Mom, it’s me. It’s Anakin— your son.”_

Leia cracked open an eye.

Anakin twisted and turned on the floor, his forehead and body slick with shine. His face was warped, eyebrows creased, and cheeks flushed in distress. The muttered words stopped, but the writhing did not as she stared at him, uncertain of what to do. She could tell that he was in the throes of another nightmare, but she didn’t know if she should wake him or wait for him to quiet down.

It turns out, she didn’t have to do either as Anakin startled awake, his eyes snapping open as he inhaled sharply. Confused, he quickly sat up and stared around at their surroundings. The embers from the small fire that they had managed to light a few hours earlier were now nothing more than a smoldering heap of burnt wood and scrap

“You talk in your sleep,” Leia commented, watching him as she sat up. She had hoped for a few hours of sleep, but it was slowly becoming obvious that she wasn’t going to get her wish.

Anakin whipped around to face her, his mouth open as he stared at her with wide, confused eyes. “What?”

“You say things in your sleep,” she said before adding; “you were dreaming about your mother again, weren’t you?”

She watched as his eyes drifted over to the sleeping form of Shmi, buried under Anakin’s robes that he had given her as she slept peacefully. Her steady breaths and the even rising and falling of her chest told Leia that she was fast asleep, although how she could sleep on the hard floor in her condition was something the Princess could not fathom.

“Yeah,” he swallowed. “Did I wake you?”

Leia shook her head, “no. I was already awake.”

“Couldn’t sleep?”

She pursed her lips as she turned to look back at the boy, noting the concerned crease between his eyebrows as he stared at her. His obvious concern for her was touching, for some reason. It felt right.

“No,” she admitted. “I guess sleep isn’t always something that comes naturally to me.”

“Me neither,” he said, pulling himself up into a sitting position. “Is it the storm?”

“Yes,” she said before also adding, “and no. It’s difficult to explain… I’m not sure you would understand.”

“Try me,” he challenged. He continued, “I probably understand more than you give me credit for.”

And that was probably true. There was something about Anakin… Something that told her she could tell him about the strange things that always seemed to happen around her. The emotions that hung in the air, the feelings that lingered, the whispers that never stopped.

“The desert… It talks,” she tried, her voice softer than she had anticipated. “I can’t make it stop.”

Anakin stared at her for a few moments as Leia mentally cursed herself for saying such a ridiculous and stupid thing. If he didn’t think she was crazy before, he did now. Why had she told him? What had prompted her to do such a thing?

When he opened his mouth, Leia almost expected him to laugh or make fun of her, but she was surprised when he did neither of those things. “What does it say?” he asked, his tone serious yet imploring at the same time. She could tell that she had piqued his interest.

“Not much,” she lied. “It’s more like whispering. It’s hard to make out.”

“Does it scare you?” he asked, intrigued.

 _Yes,_ thought Leia. It did indeed scare her, but she didn’t say that. Instead, she found herself asking; “Why do you want to know?”

“It talks to me too,” he said before adding; “It used to scare me, especially when it first started happening. Most of the time it would warn me, but sometimes…” his mouth twisted, “sometimes the whispers said things. Things that scared me.”

“You hear them too?” asked Leia as he nodded.

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been able to hear things,” he stretched his legs. “Things that other people couldn’t hear. My mother used to tell me that it was the spirits of the desert trying to communicate with me, and I used to believe her.”

“You don’t anymore?” Leia found herself asking, desperate to know more.

“No,” he admitted. “You see, it was never the desert. It was something else; _something more_.”

Leia wanted to ask what he meant by that, but instead, she found herself asking another question entirely. “Does it ever stop?”

“No,” he replied. “It doesn’t.”

He said nothing more— offered no further answers or resolutions as his eyes drifted towards the sleeping form of his alleged mother.

And in the quiet, she watched him.

* * *

Leia awoke to the desert heat— a sure sign that the twin suns had already begun their journey over the desert sky. Both Anakin and Shmi had long since risen, their places next to her vacant and empty as she rose and pushed the covers off of her.

Wiping the sleep from her eyes, Leia stumbled into the courtyard where she found Shmi, already awake and ready to tackle the day as she gave the bleary-eyed girl a gentle, well-worn smile.

“Good morning,” she said before asking; “how did you sleep?”

“Not very well,” admitted Leia, still rubbing at her eyes. “At least, not as well as I would’ve liked.”

Shmi nodded in understanding, “it was the cold, wasn’t it?”

“That and the lack of a bed,” added Leia, the twinge in her back reminding her of how much she missed her bed back on Alderaan— or any bed that wasn’t the hard ground for that matter.

Shmi’s mouth twitched, “a bed is a luxury here. Not very many are fortunate enough to have one.”

Leia had figured as much, but hearing it come from Shmi’s mouth was sobering. A bed was such a small and simple thing, and yet the thought of people going their entire lives without sleeping on one… It was enough to remind Leia that she was an outsider here. Anakin and Shmi were desert dwellers, both of them living on the fringe of society and living every day to survive. Leia was neither of those things. If there was anyone in this galaxy who was the epitome of privileged, it was her.

She swallowed, “I take it you don’t have one then?”

“I don’t,” she admitted freely. “Slaves don’t sleep in beds.”

“I— you,” she floundered. “You’re a _slave_?”

It felt wrong wording it like that, but Leia didn’t know how else to say it. She knew it shouldn’t have been as surprising as it was. Leia knew that slavery was alive and well in the Empire, especially in the Outer Rim. She may have been privileged, but she was not naïve.

_So then why did this surprise her so much?_

Shmi paused as her eyes drifted towards Leia; ice-cold and lined with steel. There was an unspoken hardship in the other woman’s eyes— one that Leia recognized in the eyes of her own parents as they were forced to watch the galaxy crumble into darkness around them.

“Your friend mentioned that you were a foreigner— an outsider,” she said, pursing her lips. “I could tell it as well. Your skin is pale and your hands are soft… I don’t think I’ve ever seen hands like yours before,” she said as Leia took a moment to stare down at her soft, small hands. Shmi was right. Her hands were soft and smooth.

“You’re right,” Leia admitted, mouth twisting. “I’m not from here.”

“Where are you from?” asked Shmi, softly.

Leia continued to stare down at her hands, “Alderaan.”

“A Core world,” Shmi commented as Leia managed a stiff nod. “You’re quite a ways from home.”

“I’m starting to realize just how far I am,” said Leia as Shmi gave her a sympathetic look.

Shmi nodded as she brushed a hand over the swell of her belly, “things are very different here. I could tell you about all the horrible things that happen here every day, but I’ll spare you the details. But I will say this, life here is very different than what you’re probably accustomed too.”

“Have you always been a slave?” asked Leia against her better judgment.

“Yes,” Shmi answered. “From the moment I was born. It is all I have ever known.”

“I’m sorry,” said Leia, offering her most sincere condolences. “That must not be easy.”

“No,” agreed Shmi. “It isn’t. But such is life.”

* * *

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable back there,” said Shmi as both she and Leia set about gathering up the mushrooms that had been growing on the vaporators— not that there were many to begin with. Still, they were edible and it was all that they had in the way of food for dinner.

Leia’s empty stomach growled at the thought of food, but she ignored it as she shook her head. “If anyone should be apologizing it should be me.”

“You were curious,” said Shmi. “No one can fault you for that.”

Leia huffed as she scooped up the last of the mushrooms and deposited them into the cloth sack that Shmi held out. “I think that’s the last of them.”

Shmi nodded as she closed the sack, twisting the top closed as Leia rose to her feet and began to brush her dress off, dismayed to find that no matter how much she tried she would always be covered in sand.

“This should be enough food for one day,” said Shmi before adding; “maybe two if we ration it.”

Leia shook her head, “we need supplies.”

“That might be difficult considering we have no idea where we are,” was Shmi’s less than enthusiastic response. Her dark eyes scanned the horizon on either side of them as she shook her head. “I wish I could say we were close to civilization, but I would be lying.”

“Anakin thinks there’s a settlement not far from here,” said Leia, remembering his words. “Anchorhead. We could get supplies from there.”

“Anchorhead?” asked Shmi, her head snapping towards Leia.

Leia nodded, “yeah, I think that’s he said. Why?”

“Nothing,” she said at last. “It’s just… If we’re near Anchorhead, that means that we’re near the Jundland Wastes.”

“Anakin mentioned that,” said Leia before asking; “he made it sound like that was not a place we wanted to be.”

“It’s not,” Shmi confirmed. “The Jundland Wastes are home to the Tusken Raiders.”

At that, a shiver ran up and down the length of Leia’s spine. Anakin had failed to mention that little piece of information.

“And it means,” Shmi continued, blinking furiously, “that I’m further from Mos Espa than I originally thought.”

Leia knew from Shmi’s expression alone that that was not a good thing as she felt the other woman’s dread seep into the air around them. There had always been a certain level anxiousness in Shmi that Leia had chalked up to being pregnant and in an unfamiliar place with strangers, but now that Leia knew Shmi was a slave, she understood.

Shmi was scared. And not just for herself, but for her unborn child as well.

“My Master—” she began before Leia cut her off.

“We’ll figure it out,” assured Leia as she wrapped her arms around the pregnant woman. “Desert willing, of course. We’ll figure it out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know a lot of you are excited for Kylo to show up and wreak havoc like the walking disaster that he is and tbh so am I, but it looks like we're all going to have to wait for one or two more chapters for that to happen. Trust me, he's out there and he'll make his grand appearance soon, just not yet. There are a few more things that need to happen before Kylo shows up and while I was originally going to have some of those scenes in this chapter, no matter how hard I tried to fit them in they just didn't work and I also didn't want to keep you guys waiting for me to figure it out. 
> 
> That being said, I hoped you guys enjoyed it and I look forward to starting the next chapter!


	6. Desert Spirits Come to Guide Me Home

“How do you think we got here?” asked Shmi sometime later as Leia helped her prepare the mushrooms, the both of them working in what was probably once a kitchen from the looks of it.

“I don’t know,” Leia replied, evading having to answer the question or make educated guesses. She continued; “Anakin knows more than me. Maybe you should ask him.”

That earned a pensive look from Shmi as she pressed her lips together and tilted her head to the side. “I would, but I don’t think he wants to talk to me,” she said before adding; “I think I make him uncomfortable.”

It was an astute observation— one that Leia couldn’t argue with as she glanced at Shmi out of the corner of her eye, noting the way that Shmi bowed her head and wrapped her arms around herself. There was something in the other woman’s eyes that got under Leia’s skin, and for that reason, she didn’t know what to make of it.

“I think you remind him of someone,” Leia answered. “Someone he misses dearly.”

“His mother?” asked Shmi, meeting Leia’s eyes.

Leia nodded as she bowed her head and looked away, unable to meet the other woman’s gaze any longer as she continued to wash the mushrooms in the small basin of water. “Yes, something like that.”

To Leia’s relief, Shmi seemed to accept that explanation she nodded, humming to herself as she too returned to the task of washing the mushrooms. Neither woman said anything for a few moments, but the silence did not last as Shmi spoke again.

“You know,” began Shmi, her tone soft yet intuitive, “when I first saw you two on the horizon, I thought you were desert spirits come to guide me home.”

Leia doesn’t know what to think about that, nor does she have time to before Shmi continues; “you see, when I awoke here and found myself alone, I prayed,” she said, absentmindedly rubbing her belly. “I prayed to the desert for help. And then you two arrived out of the desert and I heard your names, I knew that my prayer had been answered.”

And here Leia had thought Shmi to be the answered prayer. A kind woman out in the middle of nowhere in the right place and time willing to share her resources with them… If that wasn’t a miracle, Leia didn’t know what was.

“Our names?” Leia prodded. “What about our names?”

Shmi gave her a gentle smile, kind and true. “Your name has meaning here. I don’t know what meaning your name has on Alderaan, but here it is the name of the Mighty Krayt Dragon. And Anakin…”

Leia watched as Shmi paused, her dark eyes growing distant as she placed both of her hands on her belly as if it were her unborn child that occupied her thoughts— a sentiment that Leia knew held some truth. But even then, Shmi looked unsettled as she pursed her lips and shook her head.

“Anakin means bringer of rain,” she finished. “And here in the desert, there is nothing more sacred than rain. It represents freedom and prosperity as well as renewal and rebirth. It hasn’t rained here in years. The last time was so very long ago that it might as well be a myth,” she said before adding; “but for many of us, we still pray and hope that day will come again.”

“I… I didn’t know,” said Leia as she pondered Shmi’s words. Silence lapsed between them as Leia’s hands continued their work, her eyes distant. “On Alderaan, Leia means beloved daughter.”

At that, Shmi smiled. “Your parents named you well.”

Despite the knowledge that it was not her parents who had named her, Leia accepted the compliment at face value as she nodded, a smile tugging at her lips. “Thank you.”

But Shmi wasn’t done.

“That’s why I was surprised when I learned your names,” she continued, shifting her weight from one foot to the next. “Especially Anakin’s… That name means something very important to me.”

“Is that so?” asked Leia dryly as she felt a weight being to settle in the pit of her belly. She already knew where this was going, but the next words that came out Shmi’s mouth still managed to stop her dead in her tracks.

“Yes,” said Shmi evenly, still rubbing small circles into her belly. “Anakin is the name I chose for my unborn son.”

* * *

Anakin joined them shortly thereafter with a jug of freshwater, a proud look on his face as he informed them that he had managed to get three out of the four vaporators working, which meant that from now on water was not going to be an issue (thank the Force).

However, despite that, Leia could still feel in her bones that their problems were far from over as she stared out at the setting suns, basking in the orange glow that was dimming with every second. It truly was a magnificent sight— one that Leia knew she would miss upon her return to Alderaan. The sunsets there had always been spectacular, but nothing as extraordinary as this.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” asked Anakin, his presence behind her calm and soothing. “I forgot just how vibrant the colors were at sunset.”

“It is beautiful,” Leia agreed, turning around to face the other teen. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it before.”

“Yeah, well,” he said, stuffing his hands deep into his pockets, “I suppose that’s the one good thing about this place.”

“There’s always beauty in everything,” Leia mused. “Even here, I suppose.”

Anakin didn’t offer her anything but a hum and a nod, his eyes drifting across the dusky horizon as they both watched the suns sink lower into the sky, signaling the end of yet another day in the desert. It had been three days since Leia had found herself here and tomorrow would be the fourth— a fact that didn’t feel real to Leia.

“Shmi and I finished cleaning the mushrooms,” she told him, her voice void of any discernible emotion. “We should have enough for dinner tonight.”

“That’s… Good,” said Anakin, swallowing.

And maybe that was where the conversation should have died, but Leia was too stubborn to let that happen as she felt the questions that had been burning on the tip of her tongue being to boil until she could no longer hold it in. “Did you know Shmi is a slave?”

Anakin winced and Leia knew that it was not a question he had been expecting to be confronted with.

“Yes,” said Anakin at last as he gave Leia a careful look, his shoulders tensing. “I knew.”

He wanted to say more, but the words died on his tongue as he gave Leia a hard-pressed look. He was cautious, Leia noted. Definitely guarded…

“What’s going to happen to her?” she found herself asking against her better judgment. She could feel a pit beginning to form in her stomach as her mind was filled with intrusive thoughts— thoughts of Shmi and her unborn child.

She thought maybe Anakin would know, but he looked just as lost as she was.

“I… I don’t know,” he said, fingers twitching. “I wish I did, but—”

He trailed off, the words dying on his tongue as Leia willed herself to look away. It seemed as though in those few moments, Anakin held the weight of the world on his shoulders and it showed. Force, did it show.

“Her Master will not be pleased,” he said at last. “She’ll be considered a runaway slave.”

“But she’s not,” was Leia’s sharp response. They hadn’t asked for this, least of all Shmi. It wasn’t fair.

“By law she is,” said Anakin as he glared out at the vast expanse of the desert that surrounded them. “And the law is clear. The punishment for running away is death.”

Rage and sorrow battled each other for dominance as it took every ounce of her being for Leia not to scream and cry at the unjustness of it all. Anakin flinched, his ice-blue eyes snapping toward her as she began to inhale and exhale, her fists clenched tightly at her side.

Anakin’s eyes were wide, but Leia hardly noticed. It was a few moments before Leia had the strength to ask; “what can we do?”

He shook his head, “there’s nothing you can do.”

“Karking hell there isn’t,” she snapped. “You’re just going to let her and her unborn child die? What kind of—”

“I said there was nothing _you_ could do,” interjected Anakin. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t do something.”

“Then what?”

“I’ll figure it out,” he replied, turning away from her and stalking back towards the farmhouse. It was obvious that he was done having this conversation. Leia, on the other hand, was not as she chased after him. Anakin may have been willing to walk away, but Leia was not.

“I can help, you know,” she said, falling into step beside him. “I have connections in the Senate and my father has experience working with Refugees. I could—”

“Your connections are useless here,” was Anakin’s cynical response. “And even if they weren’t, the Senate doesn’t care. So why don’t you just do what politicians do best and look the other way?”

The weight and emotions behind his words rendered Leia silent as she watched Anakin’s face contort, his eyes softening and his posture loosening. He stared down at the ground for a few moments before looking away, his eyes refusing to meet Leia’s gaze as he shook his head.

"You know what? Forget I said anything," he muttered as he turned to leave. "I'm going to go start the fire before it gets cold."

“I know you don’t like politicians very much,” she said as he pushed past her, "and I don't blame you. But I’m not who you think I am. I may be privileged, but I am not naïve," he paused as Leia continued, her fists clenched at her side and her tone fierce; "I am no stranger to the injustices of the galaxy and despite what you think, I will not turn and look the other way."

And Leia couldn’t help the swelling pride in her chest at Anakin’s stunned response. He had not been expecting such an outburst, let alone one as emotional as hers had been. But that was because Anakin did not know Leia. He did not know of the suffering Leia had been forced to witness at the hands of the Empire. He did not know of the fire for justice that burned in her chest— the very same fire that her parents had carefully cultivated and nourished ever since accepting her into their home. He did not know of Leia’s conviction to see hope restored to the galaxy nor did he know how much she was willing to sacrifice to ensure that.

He had misjudged her. And judging from the shocked look in his blue eyes, he knew it too.

* * *

Leia watched as the mushrooms cooked over the open fire, her eyes watching as they started to turn brown before her very eyes before Shmi eventually took them off the sticks they had been roasting them on. When she looked up, she met Leia’s gaze and offered her a warm smile. “Here,” she said, handing the stick to her. “I know how hungry you are.”

Hungry was an understatement, but Leia was not without manners as she started to object— unwilling to eat before the pregnant woman. Shmi, however, was having none of it.

“You need to keep your strength up,” she argued as she handed Anakin the other stick. “Both of you.”

At Shmi’s insistence, Leia slowly bit into the mushroom, chewing slowly so that she could relish the feeling of something on her tongue. It was tasteless and chewy, but better than the Noonja root. She swallowed, the weight of it hitting her empty stomach and providing her some relief from her hunger pains. Beside her, Anakin also ate, but Leia could tell that he was hesitant to finish it off.

Shmi watched them contentedly for a few moments before she broke the silence. “The mushrooms should last us another day,” she sounded weary, and it did not escape Leia’s attention. “But after that…”

“I’ll go,” said Anakin after Shmi did not continue. “There’s bound to be something in the canyons… Hubba Gourds and maybe even some Noonja roots. I’ll figure something out,” he promised.

“Are you sure?” Shmi asked. “You know the desert is no place for lone travelers. It’s not safe.”

The words seemed to be a weak descriptor of the perils of the desert, and Leia knew it. The image of the two bodies was still so very fresh in her mind… Still, Anakin shook his head, as if preparing to offer the other woman something to ease her conscience. Leia, however, never gave him the chance too.

“We’ll go together,” Leia found herself saying, much to Anakin’s annoyance as he gave her an incredulous look. “The two of us. It will be safer that way—"

“Like kriff we are,” he countered, eyes narrowing. “It’s safer for you to stay here—”

Oh no. Leia did not like where this was going.

“And leave you at the mercy of the Tusken Raiders?” hissed Leia. “All by yourself and with no weapons? No,” she shook her head and crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. “No, I won’t allow it.”

 _“Won’t allow?”_ asked Anakin, incredulous. “Since when do you allow me to do anything?”

Leia held back a wince at that, but she stood her ground. She always did. “Listen here, _moon jockey,_ ” she knew it was hardly within the vocabulary of a Princess to use lowly insults like that— at least, according to her parents, it wasn’t. However, at the moment, Leia couldn’t find it in her to care. “You may be used to doing things on your own, but that’s not going to fly so long as I’m here. Either we go together, or we don’t go at all.”

“We can’t leave Shmi here,” argued Anakin. “And she can’t come with us. The canyons are dangerous and she’s in no condition to be traveling through them. I need you to stay here with her and protect her.”

“But what about you?” asked Leia. She wanted to argue further, but Anakin had a valid point. “You saw what they did to those two people. You can’t—”

“I can handle myself,” Anakin said before adding; “and I’m not defenseless either.”

Leia’s brow furrowed, “what are you talking about?”

“Look,” he was backpedaling, and it did not escape Leia’s attention. He was hiding something. “I know the area, alright? I know the best places to look for food and I know what areas to avoid. You don’t,” he drove his point home, “I don’t need you slowing me down.”

Now Leia was the one to take offense. “ _Slow you down_?” she asked, incredulous. “Of all the—”

Anakin opened his mouth in preparation for the fight, but it was Shmi who got the edge in. “Stop it,” she snapped, eyes darting between both Anakin and Leia. “Both of you. This is not helping anyone.”

“Tell her that,” said Anakin, sounding very much like a petulant child as Leia rolled her eyes.

Shmi pinched the bridge of her nose and suddenly Leia felt like a small child again. It was an action that reminded her of her parents whenever they were tired and fed up with her childish nonsense— and in the Organa household, that was every other day.

Out of the corner of her eye, Leia watched as Anakin’s mouth snapped shut. He bowed his head, his gaze refusing to meet either of them as he stared at the floor in front of him. Whatever it was he had been itching to say was gone, and in its place, he offered only silence.

“Arguing like children solves nothing,” said Shmi before adding; “you two are old enough to understand that.”

And Leia found herself agreeing. Bickering like children on the playground was doing nothing for their survival. Anakin was right, as much as she hated to say it. Shmi needed someone to watch over her and protect her if need be, and Anakin was trying to entrust that task to Leia. Still, Leia couldn’t help the way her gut twisted at the thought of Anakin out there by himself; alone in the desert… She didn’t like it.

“I’ll go tonight,” said Anakin. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, but hopefully I should be back before sunrise.”

“And if you don’t come back?” asked Leia as Shmi tensed, sucking in a sharp breath that let Leia know that the prospect scared the other woman. Leia could only guess why.

“That’s why I need you here,” was his tentative response. “If something does happen to me, then it will be up to you to get Shmi to Anchorhead and secure passage off-world.”

Which Leia knew would not be an easy task, which is why she was banking on Anakin’s safe return. If he failed to return, as small of a chance as it was, Leia had no idea what she was going to do.

But apparently, Anakin trusted her enough to figure it out. And if it did come to that, she would not fail him.

“I’m sure it won’t come to that,” said Shmi, although it didn’t do much to assuage Leia’s fears.

She still had a bad feeling about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up soon, possibly at the end of either this week or next week. Part of it is already written, so it should not be too long XD
> 
> Also, credit to Fialleril for some of the Tatooine culture in this fic. I will be very loosely using some of her slave culture to add some depth to the story while still keeping things as original as possible.


	7. Omens

Leia was still hungry by the time she finished her dinner, a fact that she didn’t have much time to dwell on as she watched Anakin leave to get more wood for the fire, her brown eyes trailing after him as she felt Shmi shift beside her.

“I’m sorry,” Shmi’s voice broke the silence as soon as Anakin was out of earshot.

The words were unexpected, but what surprised Leia was the guilt behind the words. Shmi sounded almost remorseful, and Leia couldn’t fathom why.

“What for?”

“Putting you in this position,” said Shmi before solemnly adding; “both of you. It’s terribly unfair.”

“What are you talking about?” asked a confused Leia as she watched Shmi look away, her lips pulled into a thin line as she shook her head.

“If it weren’t for me, you and Anakin would be going to Anchorhead together,” she said before adding; “you wouldn’t have me to slow you down.”

Which was undeniably true. If a pregnant Shmi was taken out of the equation, Leia would undoubtedly already be on a transport bound for Alderaan and Anakin would’ve gone back to wherever it was on Imperial Center that he came from. Things would be so much simpler.

But at the same time, Leia’s gut twisted at the thought.

Leia swallowed, “you’re not a burden, Shmi.”

_And I’m sorry I made you feel like one,_ Leia wanted to add as the hole in her chest tightened.

“You don’t have to lie to me,” said Shmi as she turned to look at Leia once more with deep, sad eyes that only served to further Leia’s guilt and shame. “We both know it would be safer if you and Anakin went together.”

“Safer for him, maybe,” said Leia as she reached out to grasp the other woman’s hand. “But not for you.”

Shmi didn’t look convinced, but Leia never had the chance to reassure her before Anakin returned— effectively silencing the two women as their conversation came to an abrupt end.

* * *

Later that night, as all three of them laid huddled around the fire, a scream echoed in the desert. Leia’s eyes snapped open as she jolted upwards, startled by the animalistic cry that had pierced through the night. But when she strained to hear the noise a second time, all she heard was the whistling and wailing of the wind against the farmhouse.

Beside her, Anakin stirred from his sleep. “Krayt Dragon.”

“What?” Leia found herself asking, her voice barely above a whisper.

Anakin opened his eyes to stare blearily up at her, “they come out at night to hunt,” he said, his voice still thick from sleep. “But don’t worry. It won’t come anywhere near us,” he said before adding a muffled; “probably.”

“What are they?”

“They’re reptiles,” said Anakin, propping himself up on one arm to stare at her. “Big, lizard-like reptiles. They’re one of the few native species here.”

“Are they dangerous?” Leia asked as Anakin held his finger up to this lips. Beside her, Shmi stirred as Leia remained quiet— not wanting to wake the pregnant woman from her sleep.

“Are they dangerous?” Leia asked again, this time whispering as Shmi fell still once again.

“Without a doubt,” was his idle response as he stretched his legs out. “But they rarely ever leave their caves and when they do, they don’t get very far,” he said before adding; “at least, the big ones don’t.”

Leia nodded as an old, familiar silence settled in between the two of them. She could’ve gone back to sleep, her curiosity as to the source of the noise satiated. But she didn’t and neither did Anakin. There was still more to be had to this conversation.

“I still don’t think this a good idea,” she said, torn between him and Shmi. “You leaving by yourself and leaving Shmi and I here.”

Anakin did not react externally, but there was definitely something in his eyes, maybe even in his shoulders too… “I don’t like it any more than you do,” he countered. “But I don’t see another alternative.”

“Me neither,” she agreed. “Which is what I hate most about this.”

Her mind was filled with what-if scenarios. What if Anakin didn't come back? What if something bad happened? What if—

"Promise me you'll watch after her," said Anakin about Shmi. "Not that I think anything will happen, but if it does..."

"I will," said Leia. "But only if you promise me something in return."

"What?"

"Don't get eaten by a Krayt Dragon," she said before wryly before adding; " at least, not until we reach Anchorhead."

He laughed, "I'll try my hardest, but I don't think you'll have to worry much," he assured her. "Encountering a Krayt Dragon will probably be the least of my worries."

Leia knew it was supposed to be a joke, but the sinking feeling in her stomach told her that his words held more truth to them than even he realized. 

* * *

When Leia awoke, Anakin was already gone— his spot next to her empty as she found herself staring at it. He must’ve slipped out while she was still asleep, just like he said he would.

“He left about an hour ago,” came Shmi’s voice, breaking the fragile silence. “He didn’t want to wake you.”

Leia nodded, a lump forming in her throat. It was still dark, but there was enough light filtering through the cracks of the wall that let her know the suns would be rising soon. Not yet though. For now, it was still twilight.

“How long have you been awake?” asked Leia as she pushed herself up into a seated position. She held back a yawn as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

“A while,” said Shmi before adding; “I’ve always been an early riser. That and,” a ghost of a smile spread across her face as she rubbed her belly, “I couldn’t sleep with the baby kicking me.”

Leia could only imagine the discomfort she must’ve been in being as large as she was and having to sleep on the floor while the baby kicked her, but if she was she made no mention of it as she continued to rub soft circles over the child.

“Here,” she said as she motioned for Leia to draw near, “would you like to feel?”

“Oh, I—” Leia shook her head, but Shmi had already grabbed her hand and placed it over her belly before the Princess could even protest. A few seconds passed before Leia felt a rippling sensation beneath her hand followed by a strong kick.

“Did you feel that?” asked Shmi as Leia nodded.

“I did,” she said in awe. She could only imagine what it felt like from the inside. “He’s very strong.”

It was as if the baby had heard her as it kicked her hand again, reacting to her touch in a very rambunctious way as Shmi winced. Immediately, Leia withdrew her hand before asking; “are you okay?”

“Yes,” was Shmi’s response. “He’s just very active. I don’t know if it’s because he’s ready to be born or if he just likes you,” she said before adding; “I think it may be both.”

Leia chuckled, “I think he’s just anxious to be born already.”

“Maybe,” Shmi’s smile faltered, “or maybe he’s just anxious because he knows the life that awaits him.”

Silence lapsed between the two of them as Leia fought for the right words to say. Eventually, she decided to keep silent as she felt Shmi’s eyes on her, watching and observing her.

“Tell me about Anakin,” she said at last, her voice barely above that of a whisper. “What do you know about him?”

“Not much,” Leia admitted, shaking her head. “I know he’s from here, but this is the first time he’s been back here in years,” she said, remembering his words. “He left when he was nine. He lives on Imper— _Coruscant_ now.”

“So, he’s not a slave?” asked Shmi, drawing out the words as she patiently awaited Leia’s response with inquisitive eyes.

“I—” Leia paused at the odd question. “As far as I’m aware, no. He’s not.”

Apart of her wanted to ask _why,_ but the strange look that crossed Shmi’s face made her bite her tongue and stop, her head tilting to the side as her brows furrowed in deep consternation because… Well, because Leia didn’t know what to make of the look in Shmi’s eyes.

_“He’s not a slave,”_ whispered the other woman, more to herself than anything. Still rubbing circles over her belly, Leia could’ve sworn she saw tears in her eyes, but she wasn’t sure if it was tears or just a trick of the light. _“He’s free.”_

She blinked as tears fell freely down her face— definitely not a trick of the light. They were real.

“Shmi?” asked a worried Leia. She gently placed her hand on the other woman’s shoulder, which seemed to bring her back into the present as she shook her head and wiped her eyes. “Is something wrong? You’re crying.”

“I know,” laughed Shmi, eyes sparkling in the light of the rising suns. “But these are tears of joy."

* * *

“Who do you think lived here?” asked Leia as she and Shmi sifted through the huge pile of sand that had been blown into the courtyard during the course of the sandstorm the other night in search of tools or anything else that could be of use. She knew it was a frivolous question, one that Leia knew she wasn’t going to get an answer to, but she had been wondering about it for a while now.

“Moisture farmers,” was Shmi’s simple response as she kicked a piece of scrap metal away. “They’re the only ones who are crazy enough to live this far out by themselves,” she said before frowning. “Why do you ask?”

Leia shook her head, “I’m just wondering how anyone could survive by themselves out here. It’s so desolate and… barren.”

Shmi’s lips twisted at that, “you’d be surprised.”

“But what do you think happened to them?” Leia found herself asking, even though she knew it was a futile question. “The people who lived here, I mean. It seems like they must’ve left in a hurry,” said Leia as Shmi pursed her lips.

“Either that or something happened to them,” she said as the wind around them began to pick up. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they fell victim to Raiders or slavers.”

There was that word again. The word that had been gnawing on Leia ever since Shmi had first mentioned it. The conversation from earlier was still fresh in Leia’s mind, even though it had been hours since they had stopped talking about it. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t shake the need to know more.

But when Leia opened her mouth, she was surprised at the direction her words decided to take as she allowed herself to be guided by her intuition.

“How long has slavery been practiced here?” she asked, torn between wanting to give Shmi a respite from a topic that she knew was painful to talk about and sating her curiosity.

“A long time,” said Shmi. “As long as our oral history can remember. Hundreds, maybe thousands of years.”

“You don’t have historical records?” Leia inquired.

“Our ancestors were storytellers,” explained Shmi. “Not bookkeepers. Everything that we know has been passed down to us through the generations through stories. Mother to daughter, father to son, grandmother to grandchild… That is how we share our knowledge.”

Leia wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but Shmi saved her from having to figure it out as she continued; “you seem… curious.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No,” Shmi shook her head. “Not at all. It’s just… I think you’re the first outsider I’ve ever met that’s shown any interest in us."

“The people of Tatooine?” asked Leia as Shmi bit her lip and shook her head.

“No, I mean in people like Anakin and I,” she said before adding; “people born into slavery."

"How do you know he was a slave?" asked Leia, swallowing. He hadn't mentioned it.

"His scar," said Shmi as she lifted up her curtain of dark hair to show Leia a small white line in the skin that ran up the length of her neck. “Right here. It’s where his slave chip was implanted as a child. We all have one."

She let her hair fall back down as Leia felt her mouth go dry.

“What does—” she had to stop and inhale to make her words less shaky, but finally she managed to get the words out without her voice cracking too much. “What does it do? Track your location?”

“Among other things."

Leia wanted to ask what she meant by that but as soon as she opened her mouth, her hand brushed against something in the sand. Reaching down, she carefully picked up the remains of a model ship.

“What did you find?”

“A ship,” mused Leia as she held it up for Shmi to see.

“A Skyhopper T-16,” mused Shmi. “A child’s toy.”

Leia gently wiped the sand off the toy as she imagined a child playing with it. A boy, maybe. _With wide blue eyes and blond—_

“I don’t think a toy is going to be of much help to us,” said Shmi, interrupting Leia’s course of thoughts.

“No,” agreed Leia, but—

She sighed as she set it aside, her mind focusing on the present rather than on hypothetical thoughts. “I don’t know what you’re hoping we’ll find, but I don’t think anything we find in here is going to be of much use.”

“You never know,” countered Shmi. “The sandstorm could have brought something up to the surface. Something that we could use.”

“I doubt it,” said Leia as Shmi gave her a knowing smile.

“I’m going to go check on the vaporators,” she said before adding; “make sure they’re running properly.”

“Do you need me to come with?” asked Leia as the other woman shook her head.

“No, you stay and keep digging,” she said before adding; “I’ll be back in a few.”

She watched as the other woman made her way up the stairs before disappearing out of the door, leaving Leia by herself as she resumed her digging. For all of her hard work, they both had managed to find only scraps. Little broken pits and pieces that served no purpose other than as artifacts. In fact, Leia was about to give up on her treasure hunt and go help Shmi when her hand brushed against something deep under the sand.

_What was that?_ She wondered as she reached into the sand pile once again, her hand idly wandering around as she tried to locate the object once more. When she proved unsuccessful, Leia began the tedious process of pushing the sand away as she dug down deeper into the mound.

And the further she dug, the louder the desert whispered.

_Dig Dig Dig_

There was something in the sand… Something that was calling to her.

It took a few seconds of digging and lip biting before Leia’s fingertips brushed against something metallic. Biting her lip, she brushed more of the sand away before something shiny caught her eye. As if the desert itself was toying with her, a sudden gust of wind blew the rest of the sand away to reveal a metallic cylinder.

The desert quieted as Leia leaned back on her haunches to stare at the object, her head tilting to the side as she tried to figure out what it was. Something tugged at the corner of her mind, but she ignored it as she reached down and grasped the foreign object.

It was cool to the touch, the sand having protected it from the harsh rays of the suns. It was also, surprisingly, heavier than she had imagined, but not terribly so as she held it up to get a better look.

_What the—?_

The ground gave out beneath her as Leia found herself falling. Not physically, of course— she was still in the exact same spot she had been when she had found the object, but that was the only sensation that Leia could think of to describe the utter terror that ripped through her.

_“Master Skywalker?”_ came the scared voice of a child. _“There are too many of them! What are we going to do?”_

Bodies, children’s bodies. Strewn about and discarded. Screams filled the air as did the smell of burning flesh. The innocent face of a child— 

_No no no no no_

The desert roared— and Leia screamed.


	8. The Stranger

For a moment, she didn’t move. She didn’t even dare breathe.

Screams filled her ears— screams of children. Terrified and desperate children, _trying to escape something or someone—_

“Leia!”

She could feel their fear... Their pain--

The object fell from her hands.

“Leia!” it sounded like someone was screaming in her ear, and someone was. Arms wrapped around her, grounding her to reality as she felt a soothing hand begin to comb through her hair.

Leia wanted to say something, but the words died on her tongue as she was wracked with sobs.

“Shh,” whispered Shmi softly, still combing her hair as she held onto the shaking Princess. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”

But it wasn’t okay. It was far from okay.

* * *

“I’ve never seen anything like it before,” said Shmi as she held the cylinder in her hand, inspecting it in the light. “I don’t know what it is.”

 _“I do,”_ were the unspoken words on Leia’s lips— dancing around her tongue like a playful Lothcat. She knew what it was and what it could do (she could almost hear the slight hissing sound that accompanied it. For many, it was the last sound they ever heard before—)

“Please put it down,” said Leia as she fought the urge to rip it out of Shmi’s unsuspecting hands, but then that would mean she would have to touch it and that was not something Leia wanted to do ever again.

Shmi did as she was told, but that only served to make her even more curious.

“What is it?”

 _Cursed,_ is what Leia wanted to say. But she knew that would sound strange coming from her lips, so instead, she settled for; “it’s a lightsaber.”

“Lightsaber?”

“A weapon,” Leia clarified. “A Jedi weapon.”

At least, it used to be. Before the Purge, before the Empire…

“I’ve heard of the Jedi before,” mused Shmi as she eyed the cylinder. “But I always thought they were just stories.”

“A lot of people think that,” nodded Leia. “But they aren’t.”

_Weren't. They weren't stories. Once upon a time, they were real. But now—_

_They might as well be stories,_ thought Leia dimly as she eyed the weapon, fingers twitching—

She yanked her hands off the table and set them in her lap. She needed to focus on the here and now, not reminisce about a bygone era that she was never alive for. The Jedi were gone. They had been for a while now. And for many, this was all that was left of them.

_Their weapons._

But there were others who also carried such weapons. Agents of the Empire; Inquisitors and most famously, Vader himself.

“What’s a Jedi weapon doing all the way out here?” asked Shmi as Leia shook her head.

She wished she knew.

* * *

“You are not okay.”

The words hardly surprised Leia. She had been expecting them for the better part of two hours now. Ever since their last conversation had stopped, it really hadn’t ended— and Leia had known it.

“You saw something, didn’t you?” while Shmi phrased it as a question, Leia knew it was more of a statement. There wasn’t much that escaped Shmi’s attention, it would seem. This was no exception. “When you touched that lightsaber—”

“I don’t think now is the time to be talking about this,” said Leia, trying her hardest to deflect the conversation elsewhere. “The suns will start going down soon and we don’t have enough wood for the fire—”

“The suns don’t go down for another hour,” Shmi deadpanned. “The fire can wait.”

Leia’s expressions shifted, as did her posture. She didn’t like the demanding look in Shmi’s eyes, but she couldn’t really fault the other woman for it either. “I don’t suppose you’ll leave me alone until I tell you.”

“Not a chance,” said Shmi, her voice softening. She continued; “I know you and I don’t know each other very well, Leia. But you can trust me.”

“I know,” said Leia, closing her eyes. “I do.”

She had never trusted someone so easily before. But even then, she felt the desire to hold onto her secrets…

“I saw a child,” began Leia. “A little boy. He was hiding from someone and I could tell that he was scared.”

Leia could already feel the tears pricking her eyes, but she persisted, nonetheless.

“I saw the fear in his eyes,” she swallowed before adding; “and then—”

She felt Shmi wrap her arms around her in a comforting manner, as if already understanding what happened next. “Shh, it’s okay.”

Leia hadn’t realized how much she was shaking until she felt Shmi’s arms tighten around her, snapping her back to the present and grounding her. She collapsed into the other woman’s arms, allowing herself a moment to be vulnerable.

“He wasn’t the only one,” Leia continued, chin quivering. There had been others who had perished by that lightsaber. Countless lives had been lost, and Leia had felt them all. Every single one of them.

“You’re not there anymore,” said Shmi. “You’re here with me and whatever it is that you need—”

“I need to go home,” said Leia, feeling a cavernous hole in her chest as she thought of her parents, the warmth of their touch as well as the safety that they provided her. She thought of Alderaan, her friends, her mission—

The mission she had never gone on. The one that would’ve decided the fate of the galaxy.

“I can’t stay here.”

“Okay,” said Shmi, nothing more than understanding. “Once Anakin comes back, we’ll go to Anchorhead. You can contact your family, let them know you’re safe.”

There wasn’t enough that Leia knew about Tatooine. Only what Anakin and Shmi had told her, and since she had no reason to not trust them, she had always taken their words for granted. But the more that they spoke of Anchorhead, the further away it seemed.

“Anakin said that I could find passage to Alderaan in Anchorhead,” said Leia, biting her lip. “Is that true?”

“You can, but I wouldn’t recommend it,” said Shmi before adding; “it’s not safe to travel alone in these parts. It would be safer if you’re family came and got you. Do they have a ship?”

Leia nodded, not divulging the plethora of resources her family had. Picking her up wouldn’t be a problem for the Organa’s and Leia knew her parents wouldn’t hesitate to do so. They would do almost anything for her, even if it meant dropping everything at the drop of a pen to come rescue her.

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem,” said Shmi as she offered Leia a selfless smile. It made Leia’s heart wrench with guilt.

“What about you?” she asked. “What will you do once we reach Anchorhead?”

“I don’t know,” Shmi sighed. “I could go back to Mos Espa.”

“You mean back to your Master,” said Leia, her words catching as she tried to hide the disdain in her voice.

She shook her head, “I don’t know where else to go.”

There was more Shmi was not telling her about her Master, but Leia didn’t press. Instead, she took a deep breath as she summoned up as much courage as she possibly could before turning to face Shmi and saying, “You could come with me.”

“I beg your pardon?” asked Shmi, somewhere between shocked and surprised.

“You could come with me to Alderaan,” said Leia. “We could grant asylum to both you and your baby. You could have a good life there as well as a future.”

A future where neither she nor her child had to worry about slavery or it’s looming shadow. A future where they could be free and not have to worry about whether they had enough food or water to make it through the day.

“You could…” Shmi paused before continuing; “you could arrange that?”

“My father could,” explained Leia. “He’s used to doing stuff like this. He used to work for the Refugee Relief Movement during the Clone Wars.”

“He would be willing to do that?” asked Shmi as she smoothed a hand over her belly. “For us?”

“You mean help a pregnant woman trying to escape slavery and almost certain death?” asked Leia. “Absolutely.”

There was dead silence as Shmi thought about it, her expressions shifting as she rubbed her belly— no doubt thinking about the babe within her as she contemplated Leia’s offer. It was a choice that Shmi had probably never been given before.

Until now.

“I’ve never left Tatooine before,” it was an odd thing to say, but Leia could sense that Shmi was trying to wrap her head around it. “I don’t even know what lies beyond our suns.”

“You won’t ever know if you stay here,” said Leia as Shmi pursed her lips.

“I suppose you’re right,” still hesitant. “What would happen once I got to Alderaan? Will the Republic give me citizenship?”

Leia blinked once. Then twice.

“The Republic?”

“Yes,” said Shmi before asking again, this time slower; “will they grant me and my baby citizenship?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t—” she shook her head. “You mean the Empire, right? Not the Republic?”

Shmi frowned, then shook her head. “Empire?”

“Yes,” said Leia, slowly as she knitted her eyebrows together. Shmi was giving her a funny look that didn’t entirely bode well with the Princess. “The Galactic Empire.”

Now Shmi’s eyebrows were knitting, “What is that?”

“What—” Leia fumbled over her words as her tongue wrapped around itself. “How do you not know what the Empire is? Do you live under a rock?”

“No,” Shmi shook her head, her tone becoming defensive. “I don’t live under a rock. I’ve just never heard of this… _Empire_ before.”

Leia blinked. Once, and then twice. And maybe a third and fourth time as well because it just didn’t add up—

“Does news travel slowly in these parts?” asked Leia as Shmi shook her head.

“We may be far from the hustle and bustle of the Republic, but we’re not cut off entirely from news,” said Shmi before adding; “we do have inter-galactic spaceports here, you know.”

_Republic? What Republic? (Did Shmi truly not know? How could she—)_

“The Republic is gone,” said Leia before adding; “it fell—” she closed her eyes before correcting herself; “was r _eorganized_ into the Galactic Empire almost twenty years ago.”

Reorganized, she reminded herself, was a more appropriate way to describe what had happened to the Republic. It hadn’t fallen— it had been reorganized (butchered) into the Empire. Two sides of the same coin, her father had told her…

“As far as I’m aware, the Republic still exists,” Leia could hear the adamancy in the other woman’s tone— spoke with certainty and she projected it too. “As for this Empire that you speak of, I have never heard of it, and if what you are saying is true—”

“It is true,” Leia was quick to add, not liking the odd look that Shmi was giving her. “I know it’s true.”

“If that’s the case, then how come I’ve never heard about this?” she asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“I don’t know,” mouth twisting and hands raised, Leia fumbled for a response. She tried to come to a logical and rational conclusion, but her brain was starting to entertain _other_ ideas at that point. “The only explanation I can think of is if—”

She froze as she allowed her thoughts to roam free— to places that were unexpected and impossible at the same time. _No,_ she thought to herself, _that’s not even possible—_

But then again, she had woken up on a sand dune on the other side of the galaxy without any sort of explanation. At this point, who was she to question what was possible and what was not?

“If what?” asked Shmi, snapping Leia out of her reverie and forcing her back into the present.

Leia swallowed, “this may seem like a strange question, but how many years since the Treaty of Coruscant has it been?”

“3612,” was Shmi’s response.

The air around them flickered and then chilled. Leia did not— _could not_ move. It was as if someone had plucked her out of a warm sunny day and then tossed her into a pond. The water was encompassing and freezing. But it brought with it such clarity—

“3612,” mouthed Leia, more to herself than to Shmi, who was standing idly by as she beheld the disbelief on her face with knitted eyebrows.

“Leia?” came Shmi’s tentative voice. 

But then something in the air around them wrenched as Shmi stopped dead in her tracks. She looked back towards the horizon.

“I feel it too,” said Leia with wide eyes that mirrored Shmi’s. She reached out to grab Shmi’s hand as something appeared on the horizon. Leia couldn’t make out what it was at first, but then she could see them.

There were figures. One at first, and then two, and then three—

Shmi gasped, her eyes widening in what Leia could only describe as terror as her grip on the other woman tightened. Leia yelped in surprise as Shmi yanked her back, jumping into action as she shut the door behind them and dragged Leia down the stairs.

“Raiders,” she said as soon as they reached the bottom. “We need to hide.”

Leia needed no further explanation as the two women quickly made their way through the courtyard and into one of the adjacent rooms. There were not many places to hide— almost all of the furniture in the homestead having been looted at that point. Despite that, Shmi still managed to find a small closet.

“Here,” she said as she motioned for Leia to get in.

“It’s too small,” said Leia. “There’s no way we can both fit—”

The door to the house opened as Shmi pushed Leia into the cubby before squeezing in beside her. It was a tight fit, but Leia didn’t complain as she felt Shmi’s belly press into her, the baby inside of her growing restless as it kicked against its confines. Shmi closed the door to the closet, but even then, it wouldn’t shut all the way as she tried to force it closed while staying as quiet as possible.

Voices filled the air. Strange and inhuman, Leia could hear them increasing in volume as Shmi ceased her actions. Leia wrapped her arms around the other woman as they listened to each other’s breaths.

The silence was deafening but severely short-lived as someone began to rustle through the pile of debris that was only a few feet away from their hiding spot. Neither Leia nor Shmi dared move much less speak as they listened.

(It was all that they could do besides hold onto each other, hoping and praying—)

But it wasn’t enough.

The door yanked open and before Leia could even blink, Shmi was wrangled from her arms. A scream pierced the air, although looking back Leia wasn’t entirely certain whether the scream had come from Shmi’s lips or her own.

“Leia!”

Rough arms wrapped around her as a face appeared before her. Inhuman with black holes where a pair of eyes should’ve been—

Shmi gasped as she was shoved to the ground, her arms wrapping around her belly protectively as Leia struggled against her captor. There was a chorus of shouting nearby, but Leia barely had any time to register it as she thrashed and flailed— panic surging through her and clouding her mind.

But then Shmi screamed again. This time in pain as Leia’s head snapped up just in time to see one of the Raiders (the one standing in front of Shmi) raise his staff and then—

He stopped. His arms were still over his head, readying to deliver a possibly fatal blow to Shmi’s temple, but he was—

Frozen.

Shmi, who had closed her eyes in preparation for the blow, opened her eyes and gasped, gaping up at the masked creature before she looked over at Leia.

But their eyes never met as Shmi’s gaze traveled past the Princess to look at something (or someone) behind Leia, brown eyes widening as Leia felt her chest tighten.

_No_

Leia watched as the creature was lifted into the air.

 _“Your son is dead,”_ came the modulated voice from her dreams.

There was a sickening crack.

_"I killed him because he was weak and pathetic."_

The Tusken that had been holding her let go, throwing her to the ground as the room erupted into chaos. _"_

_And soon—"_

There was a snap and a hiss followed by an eerie red glow that filled the entire room.

_“I’ll come after you too.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time coming, but human disaster Ren has finally entered the chat.


	9. Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blood is thicker than water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! :D

Leia saw red.

Red arcs sliced through the air— too quick for the eye to follow. Screams filled the air, distant and muffled, as if they were underwater. She didn’t dare move.

He made quick work of the Tuskens, his lightsaber slicing and impaling right and left. Leia watched in mute horror as he decapitated one of them, their severed head flying through the air and landing at her feet. She scrambled back, her hands bracing against the wall as she fought off a bought of nausea.

 _“Leia,”_ came a voice— not aloud, but somewhere in the back of her mind. _“You need to move.”_

_“I— Shmi?”_

_“Move!”_

A hand wrapped around her arm before yanking her back. Shmi was evidently stronger than she looked as she dragged Leia out of the way of a red arc, narrowly missing her as it sliced through the body of a Tusken.

The other Tuskens— the ones who had been too astonished to move as they watched their companions get slaughtered brushed past both Leia and Shmi as they ran towards the door. However, they didn’t get very far as the man’s head snapped in their direction. For a moment that seemed to last an eternity as their eyes met (at least, she thought they did. There was no way to tell through the mask) as the hairs on the back of Leia’s neck rose. Beside her, Shmi stilled. She didn’t know if it was in surprise, or terror (she had a feeling it was both).

He raised his hand as Leia braced herself; _waiting_. Shmi tightened her grip on her knowingly before the ghost of a whisper echoed in her mind; _“close your eyes.”_

Leia wished she hadn’t, but she did.

There was another sickening crack followed by silence. The sound of breathing filled her ears, heavy and fast. She kept her eyes closed for what felt like an eternity— but what was in actuality only a few moments.

 _“You,”_ he rasped, the modulator of his mask fluctuating. _“What are you—”_

Whatever it was he was trying to say, he never got a chance to finish before he collapsed, his body hitting the sand with a heavy thud. There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch out far longer than necessary before Shmi turned to look at her, a thousand and one questions in her eyes that Leia knew she would not have the answer to.

But that was not what at the forefront of Leia’s mind. She was more focused on the man’s words, the tone his voice had taken on when he had addressed her—

He knew her, but she didn't have the faintest clue as to who he was.

And that was more disconcerting than anything. 

* * *

Leia did not react at first— at least, not externally.

It was Shmi who was the first to move, hands braced against her side as she took a timid step forward. Carefully, step by step, she made her way towards the unconscious man.

“Is he—” Leia swallowed, closing her eyes so that she did not have to look at the carnage around them. “Is he alive?”

Shmi kneeled before checking his pulse.

“Yes,” was Shmi’s response. “But he won’t be for long if he doesn’t get water. He’s severely dehydrated.”

Frozen to the ground, Leia watched as Shmi tended to the crumpled and unconscious form of the man that had haunted her dreams, clad in a black tunic and fitted pants that were eerily reminiscent of the Imperial style uniforms, right down to the leather boots and belt. His face was covered by a mask— the same one from Leia’s dreams.

She reached up and—

“Don’t,” whispered Leia, but Shmi didn’t listen as she gingerly pulled the mask off to reveal dark curls plastered to a pale face. Even in the dimming light, Leia could see the scar that ran from his eyebrow all that way down his neck before disappearing into the folds of his clothes.

“Leia?” asked Shmi, still cupping his head in her hands as Leia felt her breaths quicken.

But Leia didn’t respond. Not till the suns had completely set and the cold set in.

* * *

“I wonder who he is,” mused Shmi as she watched him in the glow of the fire, her finger brushing a dark lock off of his forehead as Leia stared at the flames. Shmi’s voice was concerned, and Leia couldn’t fathom why.

“Does it really matter?” her voice didn’t tremble exactly, but there was an edge to it. An edge that was sharp, and glistening.

“Of course it does,” Shmi was quick to reply, her gaze angling at Leia. “He saved our lives.”

She wasn’t wrong, and Leia knew that much, she just couldn’t decide whether his actions constituted as saving them. There had been nothing righteous or kindhearted by what that man had done. Only anger and rage.

But Leia wasn’t going to argue with Shmi on that front.

“You disagree,” Shmi said, reading the expression on her face with little difficulty. Like Anakin, Shmi too had an uncanny ability to know what was going through Leia’s mind. Maybe it was because they were both observant, or maybe Leia needed to work on her poker face more.

“I don’t,” protested Leia. “I just think that considering the circumstances, it wouldn’t hurt to be…” she turned to look at the man once more before finishing with; “cautious. We don’t know him, or anything about him.”

“We do know one thing.”

“What?” asked Leia. “His pension for murder?”

“You know that’s not what I mean,” Shmi said, turning back around to look at the man.

“I know,” Leia shook her head, her arms wrapping around herself. There was a chill in the air, but it wasn’t from the cold. “I was just stating the obvious.”

“I figured as much.”

There was a moment of silence as Leia stretched out her legs so that they wouldn’t fall asleep. She rearranged herself into a more comfortable position before turning her gaze on Shmi once more. “What do we know?”

“That the desert brought him to us,” said Shmi, not missing a beat. “Just like it brought you to me.”

 _He’s nothing like me,_ Leia wanted to say. Instead, she bit her tongue.

“And Anakin,” she added, thoughtfully. “The desert brought you all here for a reason. I can feel it.”

She said it with such confidence that there was no doubting her words. Or rather, her faith seeing as Leia wasn’t entirely sure what reason there would be to bring a random group of strangers together. Anakin and Shmi she could see, but why her? And why this man?

“We’re connected,” Shmi answered, her voice barely above that of a whisper. “All of us. I don’t know why or how, but—” 

_But why?_

It was a question that had been nagging at Leia ever since she had awoken. And just like she was then, she was still no closer to an answer. And now this.

She didn’t know what to make of it.

“Leia?”

Shmi looked up at her, and Leia realized she had been drifting— her thoughts dragging her to a place far from the present.

“Maybe you’re right,” said Leia. _Or maybe you’re wrong._ “We should go get more water. Before he wakes.”

“Of course.”

* * *

Shmi’s back was turned to the fire, her arms wrapped protectively around her bump. Leia could tell that she was fast asleep, her breaths heavy and slow— a hairlength away from actual snoring. She had fallen asleep not long after they had collected the water, exhaustion from the day taking over.

Leia, on the other hand, knew that sleep would not come to her that night. Not after what happened earlier— and certainly not before Anakin came back. There was just too much on her mind.

Leia watched her sleep, keeping an ear on the man’s breathing— waiting for a shift; for the slightest indication that he was awake. There wasn’t much else to listen to, save for Shmi’s breaths and the barely audible whispering of the wind against the farmhouse.

Save for all of that, it was quiet. Almost too quiet.

Not that Leia was complaining. She liked the quiet— the stillness. It helped her think.

She and Shmi had yet to resume their earlier conversation. Both women had been stealing glances at the other throughout the day, both of them on edge, both of them waiting— there was an unspoken truce between them, neither one of them willing to breach the silence and ask the question.

Maybe Shmi wished to wait for Anakin’s return, or maybe she just wasn’t ready to confirm Leia’s fears. Either way, Leia knew that neither one of them was ready.

Least of all her.

The sound of coughing ripped her from her thoughts as her head snapped back to the now awake and sputtering man beside her, his hands grasping at his throat— no doubt dry and in dire need of water. Moving without thought, Leia grabbed the water canteen before kneeling beside him.

“Here,” she said, her voice much softer than she had intended. “Let me help you.”

His eyes snapped toward hers, taking in her features with thinly veiled shock as he went still. Taking advantage of the moment, Leia carefully snaked her arm under his neck as she hoisted him up. He tried to resist her, but he was too weak to properly fight her off as she held the canteen to his dry and cracked lips.

Greedily, he gulped down the water, big fat drops dribbling down his chin and onto his chest. But he didn’t seem to care as he closed his eyes in relief— glad to finally have something wet and cold in his mouth for the first time in days.

Leia understood the feeling, but she also knew of the dangers of water intoxication, Shmi’s warning echoing in her mind as she gently pulled the canteen away from him. He protested, but he was too weak to stop her as she adjusted his head so that it was resting in her lap before using her now free hand to replace the cap on the nearly empty bottle.

“You can have more later,” she said as he blinked blearily up at her, his eyes growing heavier by the second. Even in the flickering light, Leia could tell that he was struggling to focus. “But for now, you need rest. You’re very weak.”

Then he whispered in the dying light, his voice raspy and his eyes fluttering. Leia didn’t hear it, but then he said it again, this time louder.

_“Mom.”_

His eyes closed as unconsciousness took him once again, his head lolling against her as his ebony curls tickled the skin on her arm. He looked content and peaceful, laying there. As if he knew he was safe in her arms.

Leia didn’t move. Not until the shock had worn off and she could finally breathe again. Turning back, Leia could see Shmi staring at her from across the fire.

Neither one of them said anything. They didn’t have to.

Leia already knew.

* * *

She left shortly thereafter, unable to continue on in that room. She needed to get away; to escape the atmosphere that had already been created.

_She needed to breathe. And think._

_(She wasn’t sure which she needed more)._

Shmi followed wordlessly, trailing behind the Princess as she made her way through the courtyard and up the stairs. The moon was bright that night, as were the millions of stars that dotted the night sky. But Leia hardly noticed as she wrapped her arms around herself, not from the cold but something else entirely.

 _Breathe,_ she told herself.

_Inhale. Exhale. Repeat._

“Leia?”

The words were almost too quiet in the rustling of the wind, but at the same time impossible not to hear. There was worry in her voice, worry and—

“I’m sorry,” whispered Leia. “I just needed to get out of there. Needed to think.”

“I know.”

There was a moment of silence. Leia was certain that Shmi was going to turn around and leave her there, but then there was a hand on her shoulder; gentle and comforting. Shmi was not going anywhere.

“I know you must be confused,” she said before adding; “I know I was.”

There was a calm surrender. She was resigned, and so was Shmi it seemed.

“You…” Leia swallowed. “You were?”

“Yes,” she said softly. “I think I always knew, from the moment I first laid eyes on him. I didn't want to believe it at first, but I can feel it now."

Leia knew she was talking about Anakin, but it resonated with her nonetheless.

“I don’t know what to think,” _or feel,_ were the unspoken words on her lips.

“That’s what I was worried about,” Shmi continued, more softly. “It was quite a shock for me. I know you feel the same way.”

And she was right. But that wasn’t hard to figure out. Anyone in her position would be.

“You kept it all in,” Leia said, turning around so that she could face the other woman. “All this time, you didn’t say a word—”

“Neither did you,” Shmi was quick to add. “And neither did Anakin once he realized. You both stayed silent."

Leia couldn’t deny that Shmi was also right about that one. For as much as they had talked to each other, neither one of them had actually communicated anything important. They had been dancing around each other, holding onto information and keeping secrets.

“Anakin told me that you were his mother,” said Leia. “And I knew then he was telling the truth. I just didn’t—”

“You didn’t comprehend what he was saying,” said Shmi. “Not truly.”

“No, I guess not,” said Leia as she shook her head. “I kinda stopped thinking about it. It was easier that way. Less… Complicated.”

“I don’t blame you,” Shmi said. She was telling the truth. “I think given the circumstances, that was probably a normal response.”

Normal. There was nothing normal about this. Any of this.

“But I think that we are well past the point of keeping things from one another,” said Shmi before adding; “promise me that from now, we’ll be more honest with each other?”

Leia nodded. “Yes, I think that’s probably a good idea.”

Considering everything that had happened. Shmi was right. Transparency was what they needed.

Blinking, Leia shook her head. “There’s still one thing I still don’t understand.”

“What?” asked Shmi, tilting her head as she watched Leia purse her lips in deep thought.

“You said that the desert brought us here,” _her, Shmi, Anakin, and now her future— (She wasn’t quite ready to deal with the fact that the man currently asleep inside of the house was her future son)._ She swallowed, “why us? What’s the connection?”

As far as she was concerned, she had no connection to Anakin or Shmi. So why were they all there? What was the reason?

“Connection?”

“You and Anakin, me and—” she gestured towards the house, as if that was indication enough. “I have no ties to you or Anakin. So why us?”

It looked like Shmi was going to object, but then after a few moments of calculated silence she said; “I don’t know.”

It wasn’t like Leia expected an answer, but she was disappointed nonetheless. If anything, this conversation had raised more questions than it had answered. But then again, Leia was starting to get used to that seemingly endless cycle…

She sighed, “you don’t suppose Anakin would know?”

Shmi bit her lip, “if he did, don’t you think he would’ve said something?”

“Yes,” _no (Leia wasn’t sure)._ Then, “maybe. I don’t know…”

“The man—” Shmi tried before stopping, her brows furrowing. “I think he might know something. Probably more than us. So maybe when he wakes up again… We could ask him?”

Leia swallowed, “yeah, sure.”

_If he was willing to talk to them._

“Good,” said Shmi before adding; “I know there’s much still to talk about, but I think we can hold off for now. At least, until Anakin returns,” she said as her gaze fell on the horizon with a longing expression. “If he returns."

“He will,” Leia promised, remembering the way that Anakin had spoken about his mother. His sentiment towards her unwavering and full of nothing more than love. “I know he will.”

Shmi considered her words before smiling; “you should know how glad I am to have you here with me, Leia.”

There was another calm surrender as Leia found herself melting into the other woman’s embrace.

“And you are a remarkable woman,” breathed Shmi. “Connected or not, I am grateful to have met you.”

And in the warm blanket of Shmi’s touch, Leia found peace.

* * *

It was shortly thereafter— in the glow of dawn that Anakin Skywalker emerged from the desert.

Shmi was the first to notice, her head resting tiredly on Leia’s shoulder. They were still wrapped in each other's arms, neither one of them having moved from their spot on the sand. Leia didn’t know how long they had been like that, but judging from the warm glow on the horizon as well as her red skin, irritated from the sand, it had been a while.

Leia watched wordlessly as Shmi rose to her feet— moving as if unencumbered by the growing babe in her belly as she ran towards him. Anakin jogged to meet her, their arms wrapping around each other tightly as they held onto each other.

Leia averted her gaze, feeling very much like a stranger encroaching on this beautiful scene between a mother and her son. Carefully, with legs still asleep, she rose to her feet and dusted off her dress before turning to make her way back towards the farmhouse.

But she stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she realized that in the glow of the barely rising suns, someone else had been watching in silence.

 _“Mom,”_ her memory whispered, the image of the half-conscious man at the forefront of her mind before it faded and she was left with this version of him, except this time he was not weak or delirious from dehydration. He was alert and awake, and there was a dangerous look in his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you guys were wondering when they would start piecing things together and whether or not Shmi knew that Anakin is her son. I hope this chapter clears things up a little bit as to how much they know (at least, for Shmi and Leia). I have big plans for the next chapter, and more things will definitely be coming to light soon for everyone, especially now that Kylo has joined the mix.
> 
> On another note, happy holidays everyone! I hope everyone is doing well and is having a good time. 2021 is fast approaching, so here's to hoping that it will be better than 2020.
> 
> And also, THANK YOU for the overwhelming amount of comments I got in the last chapter. I can tell you are all excited for what's to come, and I'm excited to see your reactions to it XD


	10. Bloodline

Time seemed to slow down as Leia felt a shiver run the length up her spine. There was a tremble in the air, twisting and churning as his eyes swept over the scene before finally settling on her.

Anakin and Shmi were still hugging, oblivious to the strange man or Leia’s growing unease. At the moment, it was just the two of them in their own little world. Anakin’s arms were wrapped so tightly around his mother that Leia wasn’t sure he wouldn’t break her, but Shmi didn’t seem to care one bit as she returned the gesture in full force. Together, they shined brighter than the suns (and Leia could almost imagine herself getting lost in their warmth, but then there was the faintest inhale followed by—)

“You…” he breathed; nostrils flared. She hadn’t realized it until then, but he had started to make his way over towards her. One step, and then another until he had blocked the suns completely from view. He looked dazed, as if he couldn’t quite believe his eyes as he stared down at her.

Her son— (No, she was not going to use that term) was even taller and imposing up close than she ever remembered him being. Staring up at him was an effort in of itself, her neck craning upwards as she found herself completely eclipsed by his shadow.

Force, she felt minuscule standing next to him. But now that he was there, she finally had the chance to study his face. Maybe it was her imagination, but Leia could almost see her features in his face— the curve of his mouth, the shape of his eyes. And in the parts that did not belong to her, she could see traces of an unnamed, faceless man.

One that she had yet to meet, no doubt.

But it was his eyes that were the most telling. They were almost the same shade as hers— brown with flecks of gold that glittered in the sunlight.

“I—” He looked down at her as his lips parted in confusion, his brows furrowing. “I don’t understand.”

His voice was so low Leia almost didn’t hear him, but then she knew that he hadn’t been talking to her. He stared intently at her, soaking in her appearance like a sponge in water.

“You’re…” he blinked in surprise. “You’re young.”

The look in his eyes made her uneasy. But she could hardly find in herself to look away as she watched his features shuffle from shock, confusion, and eventually to something that made her blood turn to ice.

“Leia?” Shmi asked apprehensively, but her voice was muffled. As if she was underwater.

His eyes narrowed as he took a step back.

“This must be a trick,” he said, soft and dangerous. “You can’t be this young. You can’t be…”

“Get away from her,” came Anakin’s voice, low and dangerous and full of warning. His tone was commanding— not something she had expected from someone so young and bright like Anakin. Although she couldn’t see him, she could feel his fear.

She had heard all of that in his voice, but the man in front of her hardly registered it, his darkening eyes still firmly focused on her.

“Who are you?” he asked as she felt tendrils reaching for her, brushing against her as they began to wrap around her. When she didn’t answer, there was a moment. A moment that only lasted a second, but to her, it felt like an eternity. His eyes darkened, blazing with a newfound rage that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

“Answer me!” he screamed, his face twisting and contorting into something that was more animalistic than human.

There was a familiar snap followed by a hiss, but Leia hardly registered it as the tendrils that had only moments ago felt like gentle wisps were now flames that tickled her skin.

“WHO ARE YOU?” he bellowed as he raised a gloved hand, the pressure behind the tendrils growing tenfold as a hot, searing pain ripped through her entire body. She gasped as she was knocked off her feet, her body buckling beneath her as the sand rushed up to greet her.

“Leia!”

Shmi rushed toward her, concern lacing her features as she awkwardly knelt down beside her. Leia tried to open her mouth to tell her that she was fine, but the words never came. She moaned as she pressed the side of her face into the sand. She watched as Shmi turned to investigate the sound of the strange noise, her face visibly paling as she did. In her line of vision, Leia could see the glow of two lightsabers— one red and the other blue as they clashed.

Her breath hitched. She wasn’t sure if it was from the pain or the shock.

“Leia…?”

“No,” she whispered through gritted teeth. “No, no, no.”

She tried to move, to sit up so that she could assess the situation and—

Anakin yelped in surprise as he was violently pushed back by an invisible force, his long legs giving way beneath him as he fell onto the sand. Her son raised his red lightsaber and brought it down, but not before Anakin quickly intercepted it with his own, the two blades buzzing as they collided with one another. Anakin’s arms were beginning to shake from the sheer weight of the other man, and Leia could only watch in horror as the red blade slowly began to inch its way closer and closer.

But Anakin wasn’t about to give up the fight as he delivered a blow to the other man’s shins, causing him to cry out in pain as he stumbled back. Anakin jumped up— his movements unnatural and strange as he landed on his feet.

 _“Stop this,”_ came an unfamiliar voice from inside her head— not her own. Leia knew what her own inner thoughts sounded like, and this was not one of them. “ _Stop this now.”_

But how?

 _“You know how,”_ came that voice again. 

“Help me up,” she rasped. “Anakin, he…”

“Leia you’re bleeding,” gasped Shmi as she felt something begin to dribble down her nose and into her mouth. The distinct taste of iron assaulting her taste buds as there was a release followed by a flow of even more blood, which caused her to gag as she furiously wiped at her face.

Her arms felt like jelly beneath her as she struggled to her feet, Shmi’s hands moving to steady her as she discovered just how unstable she really was. Her vision was blurred, and her head felt like a Mynock bird had been pecking at it, not to mention the dizziness…

The two blades clashed again, and just like that time slowed. She could see what was about to happen, how this was going to end. Somehow, she just knew that if she didn’t act now, something bad was going to happen to Anakin.

And Leia was not about to let that happen.

 _“Stop!”_ screamed the voice in her head, her hands instinctively shooting out in front of her as she felt something gather at her fingertips before flowing out towards the two men. She hadn’t known what she was trying to do, but she certainly hadn’t intended for it to knock them both off their feet. The red crossed lightsaber that had been about to slice Anakin in two was ripped out of its owner’s hand, as was the blue lightsaber as they both deactivated before falling onto the sand.

And just like that, it was over as she felt three pairs of eyes staring at her in shock.

She blinked as she looked down at her hands. Her hands were still hers, of course. But they felt strange… Different.

“Did I do that?” she whispered, examining her hands as if they belonged to someone else.

 _“Yes,”_ hummed the voice. It sounded pleased. _“Who else could it have been?”_

Of all the weird things that had happened to her in the past few days, this might’ve actually taken the cake. She laughed at the absurdity of it all, knowing full well that she was losing her grip on reality.

“Leia?” Anakin blinked. “What—”

But it wasn’t just her grip on reality that Leia was losing as she felt her consciousness begin to slip away too. She fought it with everything that she had, but it was a losing battle as she felt her knees begin to buckle. The last thing she saw before her eyes closed, was the worry on Shmi’s face, Anakin’s desperate attempt to grab her before she fell, and the horror etched onto her son's face.

* * *

“Get her inside,” were the first coherent words that Leia managed to hear in the cacophony of voices that filled the air. Someone was holding her, their arms cradling her as her head lolled against their chest. She could feel the rhythmic beating of their heart, as well as the steady rise and fall of their chest. She was awake, but only barely. Her eyes had yet to open as she listened to the flurry of activity around her.

“Open the door,” came Anakin’s voice as he adjusted his grip on her. “Now.”

“Wait—” came another voice, not Shmi’s.

Anakin turned around with such force that Leia couldn’t help but groan, her head spinning as she felt his grip on her tighten. Her eyes cracked open, just a sliver. But she could see enough.

“Don’t even think about it,” snarled Anakin.

“She’s injured.”

“Of course she’s injured,” sneered Anakin. “You attacked her!”

His nostrils flared. “Watch your tongue, _Jedi._ ”

“Or what?” challenged Anakin, totally uncaring of the dangerous edge in the other man’s voice. “You’ll kill me?”

“I would certainly like to,” spat the other man, dark tendrils pooling around him once more as his gaze darkened. Anakin realized the danger as he took a step back, his grip on her tightening as she winced. But if he noticed her discomfort, he didn’t acknowledge it as he glared at the other man.

“Oh for Force sakes!” cried Leia as she began to struggle against Anakin. She’d had enough of this. “Would you two shut up already?”

“Leia?” blinked Anakin. “You’re awake?”

“Obviously,” she grumbled. “Now put me down.”

His grip on her tightened, “I don’t think—”

“Anakin,” she breathed, using his first name to get her point across. “Put me down before I punch you in the face.”

He didn’t need to be asked twice as he carefully deposited her on the ground, both of his hands remaining on her shoulders as she steadied herself. She was still weak and somewhat lightheaded, but at least she could still stand.

“That’s better,” she said before turning to the other man. “Now what—”

“Your name…” he said as he stared at Anakin, clearly taken aback. “Your name is Anakin?”

No one said a word.

“Anakin Skywalker?” he asked, his voice strained.

Anakin’s eyes darkened visibly, “who are you?” he demanded, his hand instinctively going to his belt where his lightsaber rested. “How do you know my name?”

He didn’t answer as he continued to stare at Anakin, his eyes wide and his lips parting as he struggled to come to terms with this sudden (and yet strange) revelation. As to what this revelation was, however, remained a mystery as Leia found herself gripping the fabric on Anakin’s shoulder.

He looked as if he had just seen a ghost.

“What’s wrong?” Shmi was the first to break the silence. “Why are you looking at Anakin like that?”

He tore his eyes off of Anakin, sparing Leia only a glance before his gaze fell on Shmi, his eyes taking in her gravid form with barely contained shock.

“Shmi Skywalker?” he asked, his voice barely above that of a whisper.

“Yes?” she asked, shaking her head. “Would someone please tell me what’s going on here? How do you know my son and I?”

“I think we would all like an answer to that,” said Anakin. It occurred to Leia just how tense the situation really was— all of them staring at the newcomer with a myriad of emotions and questions just waiting to be asked.

Leia sighed as she stared at over the horizon. The suns had already set, and darkness was setting in, bringing with it a chill that made her wrap her arms around herself, tightly. She had a feeling she already knew where this was going, and so there wasn’t any point in delaying it any longer.

It was time for the truth.

“We all have questions,” said Leia. “And I’m sure we would all like answers to them. But before that happens, let's at least get the fire going so we can start on dinner.”

“Yes,” agreed Shmi. “That is an excellent idea. Hunger is hardly conducive to civil discourse, and we’re all just a little irritable it would seem,” she said as she brushed past them. “Anakin can start the fire while Leia and I start making dinner. As for you,” she turned back towards the man once more, addressing him directly as she placed her hands on her hips and stared him down, “you can clean up the bodies of the Sand people you killed.”

With that, Shmi turned to leave as Leia followed after her, sparing a glance back at Anakin. Leia almost wished she could go back in time so that she could see the gobsmacked look on his face one more time.

But alas, time travel was not something she wanted to think about at the moment.

* * *

Anakin’s eyes stayed intently fixed on the man as the seconds passed. His stare was intense, and Leia found herself grateful that she was not the subject of his attention as she watched the other man squirm under the weight of his gaze.

“So,” Anakin drawled, his body tense and his shoulders rigid as he kept his posture perfectly still. “You’re Leia’s son… From the future.”

The way that his mouth twisted around the word _son_ told Leia that he was hardly impressed. Either that or he was still trying to get used to the idea, however strange it was.

“It would appear so.”

Anakin didn’t say anything for a few moments, his eyes narrowing.

“Normally, I would say that’s impossible, but considering everything that’s happened,” he glanced briefly at Shmi. “I’m not exactly in any position to be judging what’s normal or not.”

Leia couldn’t help a snort of agreement at that.

“Plus, I can sense that you’re telling the truth,” he said at last. “Which ought to count for something, especially coming from someone like you.”

“Someone like me,” the other man repeated. “And what would that be exactly?”

Anakin shook his head, “well, you’re definitely not a Sith… No matter how hard you try to play yourself as one—”

He snarled at his response. “What do you know of the Sith?”

“I know enough,” he said, glaring. “I saw one once, when I was nine. I remember what he felt like. You…” he shook his head, “you definitely are a dark side user, but you’re not a Sith.”

His glare at Anakin deepened, but he didn’t say anything further.

“Look,” said Anakin. “I can tell you have questions—”

“I assure you I do not.”

Anakin clearly did not appreciate being cut off.

“But you do,” continued the man. “And I might be willing to answer them. Within reason, of course.”

Anakin’s eyes narrowed. “In exchange for what?”

“Nothing,” the other man replied. “Except a show of good faith."

“You want your lightsaber back, don’t you?” asked Anakin. Apparently, somewhere along the line he had managed to confiscate it.

The man nodded as Anakin scoffed. “Just how stupid do you think I am?”

“I don’t.”

Anakin wanted to protest, but then the man cut him off again.

“I don’t,” the man reiterated truthfully. “I have no intention of harming you or anyone else here for that matter.”

And that was the truth. As surprising as it was, there was no doubting the sincerity in his words.

But Anakin was hardly in a forgiving mood.

“If that’s the case, then why did you attack Leia?” he asked. “I thought you said she was your _mother._ ”

The reminder of what had transpired earlier had not left Anakin, nor anyone else for that matter as Leia felt a shiver run down the length of her spine. Shmi too seemed uneased as she glanced between Leia and the other man.

“I was not myself,” he said, as if that was explanation enough. “And I was under the pretense that I was being subjected to some sort of trick— a cruel prank if you will. I was merely trying to ascertain her identity through the Force.”

Anakin balked. “By trying to force yourself into her mind?” he growled. “Are you crazy? You could’ve killed her!”

“Anakin—”

“Any person with a decent amount of training would know that a Force attack of that _magnitude_ —”

“Do not lecture me,” he said. “I know what my mistake could have led to. I do not need to be reminded by a child.”

Leia watched as Anakin’s face turned red with anger, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the other man as the corner of his lips began to twitch in thinly veiled excitement. He was goading Anakin, and it was working.

She put her hand on Anakin’s shoulder before he could react and pulled him back. “Anakin, you need to calm down.”

“Calm down?” he was almost vibrating at that point. “He attacked you— almost killed you! And now you’re telling me that I’m the one who needs to calm down?”

“Yes,” she said, firmly. “We need him to talk. That’s the whole reason we’re doing this, remember?”

“You should listen to her,” said the other man. “You’re a Jedi, you’re supposed to be a guardian of peace, remember?”

“Shut up,” he snarled, earning a smug grin in return. Leia tugged on his arm, drawing his attention toward her as she shook her head. It was a few moments before Anakin finally conceded.

“Fine,” he said as he unclipped the saber from his belt. “But I’m warning you, if you try anything, I will not hesitate to kill you.”

The unspoken, _Leia’s son or not_ were loud and clear from Anakin’s tone alone.

“So much anger in you,” he commented as he accepted his saber back, his eyes never once leaving Anakin. “Even now.”

Leia didn’t know what he meant by that, and neither did Anakin as he opted to ignore it. “You have your saber. Start talking,” he said before adding; “and don’t even think about lying to us. I will sense it.”

“Very well,” he muttered. “What would you like to know?”

Anakin turned that statement over and over in his head, but it was Leia who spoke up. “You can start by telling us your name.”

“Kylo Ren,” he did not miss a beat, and Leia could tell that he was speaking the truth— but it wasn’t the complete truth.

Anakin’s eyes narrowed. “And how did you get here, Kylo Ren?”

“I don’t know,” he growled in frustration. “But I imagine the same way you did, _Skywalker_.”

He all but spat at the name Skywalker, which made Leia wonder if there was a story there… She would get to that later, for now, she had her own questions to ask.

“Kylo Ren isn’t your real name, is it?” Leia asked. It was not something she would have named her own child, she knew that much. Unless…

“No,” he groveled. “It’s not.”

“What did…” She swallowed, her voice suddenly growing more and more hoarse. “What did I call you?”

Leia was almost positive that she was not going to get an answer to her question, but after a few moments of silence he ended up surprising her.

“Ben,” he grumbled.

_Ben. His name was Ben._

“Okay,” she nodded. “Ben.”

“Don’t call me that,” he hissed. “It may have been the name I was born with, but it no longer holds any meaning to me.”

“Fine,” she said as turned the name Ben over and over in her mind, excitedly. Finally, she knew the name of her son. “Kylo it is.”

“Where were you before you woke up here?” asked Anakin, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Onboard my ship,” he answered before adding; “we were in orbit around some planet— I can’t remember the name, but it certainly wasn’t Tatooine,” he said as he looked around, “as to how I got here, I am uncertain of the details. All I know is that I was there one moment, and the next I was here,” his nose crinkled, “in the middle of a desert.”

“You must have been out there for quite some time,” commented Shmi, breaking her silence for the first time. “When you came to us, you were severely dehydrated. Any longer and you might’ve died.”

“I was out there for a considerable amount of time,” he admitted.

 _Three days,_ whispered a voice in the back of Leia’s mind.

“We all have a similar story,” said Leia. “I went to sleep on Alderaan and woke up here with Anakin. None of us know exactly how we got here. We were hoping you might have some answers,” she asked as she turned to him, hopeful.

“Alderaan?” he blinked. “You were on Alderaan?”

“Well, yes,” Leia didn’t know what was so surprising about her being there. “It is my home planet.”

“I am aware,” was his scathing response.

She shrugged, “you asked.”

“I wish I could give you the answers that you seek, but I’m afraid I am just as much in the dark as all of you are,” Kylo said, squashing what little hope anyone had at that point. “Only that it was clearly the Force that brought us here together. For what purpose, I do not know.”

There was a moment.

“However,” he continued, “while I may not know our reasons for being here, I can tell that all of us appear to be not only from different regions of the galaxy, but from different years as well.”

Anakin, Leia, and Shmi all shared a look at that.

“If that’s the case,” said Anakin slowly, “then that means that somehow—"

“We have all traveled through time,” finished Leia as she resisted the urge to swallow.

“That much is apparent,” said Kylo, this time looking directly at Leia. “You are much too young to be my mother at this point in time.”

“What year are you all from then?” asked Shmi. “I already told Leia that I come from 3612 ATC.”

“I’m from 3631 ATC,” said Anakin as Leia began to mentally do the math. If that was true, then Anakin came from the time of the Republic as well. Three years before the rise of the Empire. “And Leia, you’re from…?”

“3653.”

Anakin frowned at that, “that’s twenty-two years ahead of me.”

“I guess that makes you older than me,” she said jokingly. He didn’t laugh.

“Kylo?”

“3687,” he grumbled. “Thirty-four years after you,” he said to Leia.

“You’re nineteen?”

Leia turned around to face Shmi, thinking for a moment that maybe she had been talking to her. Instead, Shmi’s attention was on Anakin as she watched the latter of the two nod.

“Yes,” he confirmed before squaring his shoulders and raising his head. “But I’ll be twenty soon.”

Leia was distinctly reminded of a child trying to make themselves sound and look older than they actually were, which was almost laughable coming from Anakin. He may have been tall, but there was still a youthful roundness to his cheeks and a gangliness to him that told Leia he was no older than she was.

“And you’re a Jedi?” she asked in awe.

At that, Anakin nodded excitedly. “Well, I'm actually a Padawan learner, but yes."

It did not escape Leia how Anakin’s chest seemed to puff out in pride at that fact, but that just made her chest clench even more than it already was because although he didn’t know it yet, he was going to die soon. Him and all the other Jedi.

Leia wanted so desperately to warn him— to tell him of the future that awaited him in just a few short years, but then Kylo sent her a knowing look. Shmi beamed at that, also painfully unaware.

“Leia told me that you left Tatooine when you were nine,” she said before adding; “that you live on Coruscant now.”

“The Jedi found me,” he said as Leia flinched. “And when they found out my potential, they helped me gain my freedom and took me to the Temple on Coruscant to be trained. I’ve been there for ten years now.”

Shmi covered her mouth as tears began to pool in her eyes. She looked so relieved to hear that. So happy to know that her son was alive and free.

Which made it all the more heartbreaking.

Leia watched mutely as Anakin gathered his mother into his arms and held her shaking body, unable to look away as the two of them shared a tender moment. She could feel Kylo’s eyes on her, burning holes into the back of her head as she watched. But even then, she never gave him the satisfaction of seeing the pain in her eyes.

“Mom, I…” he looked guilty. “I’m sorry.”

At that, Shmi pulled away from Anakin, her hands coming to rest on either side of his face as she drew him as close as her pregnant belly would allow.

“What do you have to be sorry for?” she asked as Anakin’s shoulders sagged. “You’re here and that’s all that matters.”

“I left you,” was his admission of guilt. “I gained my freedom, but you didn’t. I… I left you here,” he said, his voice cracking as Shmi’s eyes widened in understanding. Her fingers trailed through his short blond hair as she shook her head.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“But—”

“You don’t know how many sleepless nights I have had,” she began, “hoping and praying to whatever powers that were listening that my child would one day be free. And now I know that my prayers will be answered.”

He closed his eyes, “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I know,” she brushed his braid over his shoulder as he melted into her touch. “I know.”

“As much as I hate to interrupt this… tender moment,” said Kylo. “Does anyone have any idea as to what year we are in?”

Anakin’s face flushed in embarrassment as he pulled away from his mother, as if suddenly remembering that they had an audience. He shook his head, “umm, that’s a good question.”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” said Leia hoarsely.

Kylo stared at the farmhouse with newfound interest, “I think I might have a general idea… But you’re not going to like it.”

“What?” asked Anakin as Kylo pursed his lips.

“This is the Lars homestead,” he said as he kicked at a piece of metal scrap. “Or at least it used to be.”

“The Lars?” asked Anakin.

“They were my…” he paused, as if considering his next words very carefully. “They were my former master’s family.”

Anakin frowned, “why would the Force bring us to your former master’s family’s abandoned homestead in the middle of nowhere?”

“I do not know,” he said. “However, judging from the state this place is in, I think we can surmise that it has been quite some time since anyone has lived here.”

“Okay,” nodded Anakin. “And that would mean—?”

“We may be in my time,” he said before adding; “or at least close to it. However, seeing as we don’t know the actual date, it’s impossible to tell.”

“Great,” said Leia, not at all liking the sound of that. It would’ve been easier if they were in her time, or even Anakin and Shmi’s. But being in a future that Leia had no knowledge of was unsettling, to say the least. “If that’s the case, do you know anyone that can help us?”

“Possibly,” he said. “I don’t suppose any of you have a working comm, do you?”

Leia wasn’t sure if they should trust any of Kylo’s associates or not, but if he truly did know someone who could help them…

“No,” said Anakin before adding; “but we might be able to get one in Anchorhead.”

“We’ll go tomorrow,” said Kylo, ignoring Anakin’s odd expression. It was clear that Anakin wasn’t wild about Kylo telling them their next course of action. “How long will it take us if we leave before sunrise?”

Anakin frowned, “on foot? Hours.”

“How many?”

“Three, maybe four,” he said before adding; “but that’s not counting the trip back.”

“We can obtain transportation there,” said Kylo before his eyes traveled over to Leia and Shmi. “However, I do not believe your mother is capable of making the journey in her current state. She and another person will need to stay here.”

“I’ll stay here,” Leia volunteered. She knew Anakin didn’t trust Kylo enough to leave him here with his mother— not that Kylo would agree to that anyway. She just hoped that they didn't kill each other on the way there or back. 

Everyone seemed to accept that and as far as the questioning went, it seemed to come to a halt.

“There’s something I still don’t understand,” said Shmi. Up until now, she hadn’t asked Kylo any questions— and no one had been expecting her too as everyone turned to look at her. “Why us?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” asked Kylo.

Anakin frowned at that, “isn’t what obvious?”

“You—” Kylo cut himself off as he stared at Anakin, searching his face for any sign that he had an inkling. But there was nothing there. Nothing to indicate that any of them had any idea. He stopped, blinking rapidly. “You really don’t know, do you?”

“What are you talking about?” asked Anakin, taken aback. “What do we not know?”

“None of you—” he looked over at Leia. “None of you know.”

Okay, this was starting to get annoying.

“Know what?” Leia demanded, arms crossing in front of her as she patiently waited for an explanation.

“You have no idea why the Force brought us all together,” said Kylo. “Here, to this place…”

Leia looked over at Anakin and Shmi for clarification, but they didn’t seem to have an explanation either. Anakin shifted uncomfortably, his eyes meeting Leia’s as they shared a moment of unease.

“Think about it,” said Kylo, irately. “We’re all from different points in time. We all share a connection to something bigger than us— something that has brought all of us together. Can’t you feel it?” he asked. “The familiarity, the closeness…”

“Would you just get to the point already?” snapped Anakin.

“The connection is simply this,” he inclined his toward Leia, speaking to her directly as if she were the only person there. “Anakin is your father.”

* * *

For a moment, she didn’t move. She didn’t even dare breathe.

“No,” she shook her head. “That’s not possible.”

Kylo’s irritation was palpable at that point as he stared at her. “Possible?” he growled. “You’re having a conversation with your future son. I don’t think that word means anything anymore.”

“I know who my father is,” she said, drawing slow and quick breaths. “My father is Bail Organa of Alderaan—”

“He’s not your biological father and you know it,” Kylo’s words were like a lightsaber, cutting and slicing down Leia’s walls one by one. “You were merely adopted by the Organa’s. You were not their blood.”

Leia sucked in a sharp breath at that, her eyes falling from Kylo so that she could stare down at her hands. It was true, she been adopted by the Organa’s as an infant— _a war orphan,_ they had told her. That had always been explanation enough when it came to the topic of her birth parents.

_Adopted._

“I’m sorry— what?!” choked Anakin.

“Think about it,” pressed Kylo, ignoring the frazzled Padawan. “Bail Organa was a known Jedi sympathizer. He was friends with Kenobi, and he was at the Temple during Order 66—"

“Kenobi?” there was Anakin again, eyes wide and words rushed. “You know Obi-Wan?”

Kylo ignored him. “When the Republic fell, the Empire hunted down the Jedi. They searched out Force-sensitive children and raised them to be Inquisitors. The Organa’s knew this, and with the help of Kenobi they hid you away on Alderaan,” he explained. “Forged your birth records and falsified your midichlorian count so that the Empire wouldn’t discover your potential.”

“I—” Leia’s head was spinning. What Kylo was telling her was insane. But… There was an element of truth to it.

“Listen to me, Princess. The Empire—”

“What are you talking about?” demanded Anakin, his voice cracked. “What Empire—”

“The Galactic Empire,” answered Leia, finding her voice for the very first time. “The government that exists in my time. It hasn’t happened for you yet, but…” she swallowed, looking into the depths of his lost blue eyes, “the Republic falls.”

Anakin froze. He looked anguished to hear that, as if the ground he had been standing on was suddenly ripped out from beneath him. And for all Leia knew, it probably had been.

“It’s true,” Kylo said, severely. “The Republic as you knew it is gone. It crumbled and fell, along with your _precious_ Order.”

He stiffened as that, and if Leia had thought him hearing about what happened to the Republic was bad, it paled in comparison to this revelation. “The Order?” he asked, in a strangled whisper. “But… But how—?”

Leia couldn’t help the twisting feeling in her gut at the sound of his voice. He sounded so confused, so lost…

“That’s why we’re all here,” breathed Shmi, speaking for the first time since the revelation. Her interruption left Anakin’s question unanswered— which Leia found herself grateful for (she didn’t know if she could regurgitate that story just yet… Not now that there was a whole new element to it that she needed to absorb first). “We’re all related.”

“A bloodline,” mused Kylo. “Four generations of the same family. Brought together from different points in history to this moment.”

“This is ridiculous,” protested Anakin. It was weak, and he knew it. Still, he continued; “there’s no way—”

“Search your feelings,” said Kylo, not even bothering to spare Anakin a glance. “You know it to be true, _grandfather._ ”

“Grandfather,” Anakin breathed. His face as white as a sheet. And she could feel him, trembling with fear. Cold, white terror—

His jaw snapped shut.

“I can’t do this,” he rasped, rising to his feet and tearing for the door (for an escape). Shmi tried to follow after him, worry lacing her features as she struggled to her feet. Leia hadn’t realized it then, but Shmi was just as shaken as Anakin was.

“Anakin!” she called after him, in pursuit. “Anakin—”

Leia did not move as she watched Shmi disappear, her dress flowing behind her and her hands firmly planted on her belly as she chased after her distraught son, leaving the two of them alone for the first time.

Leia almost thought about going after them, but she knew her presence would not be welcomed at this time. She was, after all, an outsider to the Skywalker clan— or at least, she felt like one. Even now that she knew the truth… She knew Anakin needed his mother.

Not her.

“He’ll be fine,” Kylo said simply. “He just needs time.”

Leia didn’t have anything to say to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked it! I've been waiting to write this chapter for so long and I'm excited to see your reactions to it XD

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Also, for those of you who are interested in the story and would like to rave about Star Wars with me, I have a [Tumblr](https://princessleia9977.tumblr.com/). Feel free to pop in, even if it is just to say hello :)


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